UFC Fight Night 30 Date: October 26, 2013 Arena: Phones4u Arena City: Manchester, England Light Heavyweight bout: Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo (+165) vs Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa (-190) Fight Breakdown: The main card for UFC Fight Night 30 on Fox Sports 2 will feature a contest between two of the toughest light heavyweights in the division, when Canada’s Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo steps into the cage against England’s own Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa. Jimmo is currently the underdog heading into this bout at +165 ($100 to win $165), while Manuwa is the favorite at -190 ($190 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. RYAN “BIG DEAL” JIMMO (18-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made a big splash in the UFC’s light heavyweight division with a seven second knockout over Anthony Perosh in his promotional debut at UFC 149. He followed the knockout victory with a decision loss to James Te Huna, in a fight many spectators scored a draw. He followed the loss with a unanimous decision victory over Igor Pokrajac, in a very uneventful match-up. Jimmo played it smart and grinded out a victory to ensure his stay in the promotion. That speaks for his fight IQ, which I believe is very high. He generally fights smart and finds the best game plans to use against his opponents. He does not care what he does in the fight, as long as he walks away with the win. He gassed after blowing his wad against Te Huna in the first round, so he was unable to really do much in the second and third. That aside, he generally has good conditioning and is able to go all three rounds of action without gassing. Jimmo is very good on the feet, with both kicks and punches. His offensive wrestling is solid and has decent takedown defense. Training out of the Blackzilians camp in Boca Raton, F.L., Jimmo will be stepping into enemy territory and looking for the upset over the hometown favorite. JIMI “POSTER BOY” MANUWA (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is making his third UFC appearance, coming off consecutive TKO victories over Kyle Kingsbury and Cyrille Diabate. He beat both fighters to the point where they were no longer able to continue. Kingsbury was unable to start the third round, and Diabate was unable to start the second round. Manuwa proved to be too much for both light heavyweights. Manuwa is one of my favorite fighters to watch in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, as I am a big fan of his brutal striking. He hits as strong as he looks and is faster than he seems. He really does a lot of damage and has finished all 13 opponents in his professional mixed martial arts career; 12 by TKO/KO, and only one by submission. Manuwa has never seen the third round in his career, as he has always managed to get the finish. That said, he has shown signs of fatigue, even as early has the tail end of the very first round. He starts off very strong, so he generally starts getting tired. Cardio is certainly an issue with him and is something that should be paid close attention to in this match-up. It would be interesting to see if he has made any improvements in that department, because if he had seen his previous fights in the Octagon, he should have made note to work on his conditioning. Jimmo will undoubtedly have the edge in the cardio department heading into this bout, but if the fight plays out on the feet, it will be Manuwa who has the power advantage. The “Poster Boy” has average takedown defense, but generally does not have good wrestling skills. I think can be controlled by a talented wrestler, especially one without cardio issues. Fight Prediction: Minuwa will have the advantage on the feet, as he will carry more power behind his strikes. Jimmo won’t want to trade with him in the first round, so I think he will try to make it a wrestling match. I see Jimmo going into this fight with a game plan to grind it out, knowing very well he has the superior grappling and conditioning, and as long as he avoids the early knockout, I think he could very well pull it out. Gabe’s Pick: Ryan Jimmo by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Ryan Jimmo +165, Over 1.5 rounds -170, and Jimmo by Dec (line not yet released)
