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Anthony Johnson was expected to face Jan Błachowicz on September 5, 2015, at UFC 191. However, Johnson was pulled from the bout on July 30 in favor of a fight with Jimi Manuwa at the event.
Outside of his loss to Daniel Cormier, Johnson to this point had been pretty magnificent inside the Octagon, shattering fighters with his massive punches. He was planning to remind the world of his power last night.
One of the few men that could potentially match Johnson's strength and power, Manuwa promised not to back away from "Rumble." If he could upset the former title challenger, Manuwa would be in a great position to earn his own shot at the strap
Johnson scored with some hard shots to start the round before dropping into a quick double leg takedown. "Rumble" eventually settled into the half guard and controlled for about three minutes, but he did very little with the position.
When Manuwa finally worked back up to his feet, he went on the offensive, scoring with some hard kicks. After landing those shots, Manuwa moved into the clinch, where he began landing his usual nasty knees to the leg. However, the round ended before he could really shift momentum.
Though it was uneventful, the first undoubtedly went to Johnson.
Luckily, the two men stepped it up to start the second round. Both men began trading punches, and a massive overhand dropped Manuwa hard. "Rumble" followed him to the mat with a couple more power punches, and that was all the referee needed to see.
Overall, this was an interesting performance from Johnson. It's clear that he's been working on his wrestling after the loss to Daniel Cormier, which is a very smart choice. While it probably wasn't necessary to wrestle the Englishman in the first, it didn't hurt him either.
In a battle of quick and powerful men, Johnson was simply better in both areas. Each time the two fighters entered a real exchange, Johnson landed the harder shots. Johnson seemed to realize that between rounds, as he came out firing to start the second.
After this win, it's pretty obvious who Johnson's next opponent will be. There's only one other top light heavyweight that's not booked, and it's Glover Teixeira.
Manuwa was outgunned, and that's really all there is to it. He's not a terrible technician on the feet, but his game obviously relies on his athleticism. Against a man who had him beat handily in that area, Manuwa struggled all the way up until he lost consciousness.
