UFC 214 is the perfect time for Jimi Manuwa to rise and claim the title shot he’s long been in the mix for

All the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather talk will take a backseat for the next few days as the UFC prepare for their biggest fight card of the year, UFC 214.

In the main event, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier will finally face off for the second time in their bitter rivalry that started back in September 2014. A conclusive finish to the fight on Saturday should bring at least temporary closure to the Jones vs. Cormier saga, but the winner will have no shortage of contenders to deal with several fighters waiting patiently in the shadows for their own shot at the gold.

One of those men is London’s own, Jimi Manuwa who will open the main card this Saturday against Swiss fighter Volkan Oezdemir. Manuwa has been in impressive form since a loss to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in September 2015 with successive highlight reel knockouts wins on UK soil over Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 204 and then Corey Anderson at UFC Fight Night London in March this year.

Manuwa now has the opportunity of a lifetime to put his name at front of the queue to face the winner of Cormier and Jones this Saturday and an impressive performance at The Honda Centre could seal the deal with the entire MMA community watching.

His job at UFC 214 will not be straight forward though. The Brit will have to take out a man who comes into the bout somewhat of an unknown quantity. Oezdemir debuted in the UFC in February earlier this year and beat Saint Preux via a unanimous decision.

Having been a strong underdog in his first fight, Oezdemir then really put the rest of the UFC light heavyweight division on notice when he defeated the much-fancied Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night Stockholm in May.

It was widely expected that Cirkunov would be the next man to face Manuwa after beating Oezdemir, but the Swiss fighter got job inside 28-seconds with a glancing left-hook that rendered Cirkunov unconscious with his face to the mat.

Oezdemir is not to be taken lightly, but it feels like now is that time for Manuwa to rise and claim the title shot he’s long been in the mix for. Fights against ether Cormier or Jones would represent fresh match ups for all involved and if the Brit makes it three stunning knockouts in three fights, few UFC fans will be disappointed to see either fight made later this year.

One wildcard does remain in the mix though, Alexander Gustafsson. The Swede is Manuwa’s teammate at Allstars Gym in Stockholm, Sweden, but he too also has his eyes on the UFC light heavyweight title. Gustafsson and Manuwa have fought previously back in 2014, but the two are now good friends and have even agreed that they wouldn’t face off again even if there was a UFC title on the line.

Everything lies on this weekend and it’s all eyes on Anaheim to see the future direction of the UFC light heavyweight division. Don’t be surprised if Manuwa is the man right in the thick of it come Sunday morning.