UFC
Jimi Manuwa now in against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 191 on Sept. 5
Jul 30, 2015 - 12:20:42 PM Jimi Manuwa now in against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 191 on Sept. 5

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has a new opponent for UFC 191 on Sept. 5, as ESPN's Brett Okamoto reports that Jimi Manuwa is now in for that fight, pushing Jan Blachowicz down the card.

Per the report, Manuwa wasn't initially cleared from a knee injury to accept the Sept. 5 date, leading to Blachowicz getting the fight. However, he's now been cleared, and seeing as he defeated Blachowicz in April, the UFC believes it to be the better matchup for Johnson. Blachowicz is expected to remain on the card in a different matchup.

Johnson is trying to get back in the win column quickly after a submission loss to Daniel Cormier for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 187. That snapped a nine-fight winning streak, which included three straight back in the UFC after a stint outside of the organization.

The 35-year-old Manuwa has had injury issues over the last couple of years, but brings a 15-1 career record into this matchup. That sole loss came against Alexander Gustafsson, who is going to fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title in October.

Penick's Analysis: It's the more sensible fight to make of the two options, and obviously the only reason it wasn't initially booked was because Manuwa wasn't yet cleared. Manuwa's the highest ranked fighter not otherwise booked, so with Johnson fresh off a title fight, it's the bout that works better. It's unfortunate for Blachowicz, as the Johnson fight would have been a big opportunity, but it's the route the UFC should be going with Manuwa able to fight by Sept. 5.