Preview: UFC Fight Night 127 ‘Werdum vs. Volkov’
Blachowicz vs Manuwa
Light Heavyweight
Jan Blachowicz (21-7) vs. Jimi Manuwa (17-3)
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ANALYSIS: By no means is this a bad fight; Blachowicz and Manuwa are two of the very best light heavyweights in the world. However, it is also a rematch of an uncontroversial clear win for Manuwa from less than three years ago, which seems to be an internal commentary on how stagnant the UFC’s light heavyweight division has become, even beyond the ever-present Jon Jones drama and Daniel Cormier’s otherwise dominant run, his Jones bouts notwithstanding. This is not a rematch for which anyone was really calling, yet now it is co-headliner to a card in London.
Has anything changed since their first fight? A little, yes, but I am not sure how much it will matter. Both men have switched up their camps, as Manuwa, 38, now works out of Allstars Training Center in Sweden, training with fellow 205-pound standouts Alexander Gustafsson and Ilir Latifi, while Blachowicz has settled in at S4 Fight Club in his native Poland, rubbing elbows with UFC heavyweight Marcin Tybura. Blachowicz’s case, improvements have been more obvious fighting more actively and having longer bouts, as his standup seems more varied and crisp and his wrestling has grown considerably.
That seems helpful for the 35-year-old Pole, as in their first contest Manuwa marched forward behind his jab, threw a few combos and then stuck Blachowicz to the fence repeatedly. This may be harder to do with Blachowicz being better conditioned and being a far better, less lunging wrestler in close quarters. However, if we get another long clinch battle in our rematch, Manuwa remains the physically stronger fighter, muscling around folks while digging punches, knees and even the occasional elbow to the head and body. If Blachowicz pushes for takedowns from there consistently, he will see them largely if not entirely defended by Manuwa’s underrated defensive wrestling and may tire himself out, which has certainly been a problem in the past.
It will be curious to see what the fight looks like if it takes place from range. Both men can land damaging shots in a hurry and excel at mixing up their stances to land heavy blows, most notably, Blachowicz’s penchant for turning southpaw and launching the left kick to the body. While he is capable of clubbing hooks and uppercuts, Manuwa is a better classic boxer with superior punching mechanics and hand speed, and he is less telegraphed in his attacks. Manuwa does need to protect his chin and liver -- he has been knocked out in all three of his career losses -- but coming off of his 22-second knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir in July, “The Poster Boy” will work a buttoned-up game that should frustrate Blachowicz once more. Manuwa by unanimous decision is the pick.
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