08-20-2009, 01:52 PM
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Jimi Manuwa ~ Becoming The Poster Boy
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by j. Andrew yount
with the recent explosion of mixed martial arts in europe, several new international stars are bursting onto the scene. Fighters such as michael bisping, ross pearson, dan hardy, and paul daley are all making their ways toward the top of the sport. One fighter not far behind and making an impressive mark on the english market is jimi ‘poster boy’ manuwa. Manuwa (4-0), the current ultimate challenge uk light heavyweight champion, is already turning heads and stirring up significant interest after just four professional fights. Manuwa recently sat down with mma spot’s j. Andrew yount to discuss his career, influences, future, and more.
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manuwa’s start in the sport would come on the heels of a devastating injury while weightlifting in 2007. He ruptured a chest muscle while bench pressing 185 kg (407+ lbs). While rehabbing the injury, he decided to begin training, “i got started in mma when i used to go see a friend of mine fight and thought i could do it my self, then started training and accepted my first fight too early after just two or three weeks. I won, but it was a great lesson for me because it showed me it's not just as simple as that.” after that fight manuwa’s friend, kym farid, turned the powerful, but raw, athlete on to a pair of professional gyms.
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manuwa’s early career certainly appears to be mimicking those of his idols. And like those men, manuwa has set out to become his own legend, “the name ‘poster boy’ comes from when i first started. I wanted to be the poster boy for u.k. Mma and it just stuck from there. I hope to achieve that goal.”
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jimi holds back a smile when asked about his ideal way to win a fight, “i don't really have any favorite techniques but i like to box, but then again i like it on the floor. I think my favorite is ground and pound which is both so there you go.”
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although young in the sport, and even younger as a champion, he knows how to stay grounded and already possesses the mentality of a champion in the sport. “i'm not really thinking of anyone to fight, i'm just concentrating on my next one, but i will fight anyone who comes my way. Being the champ is hard as i have to take it very seriously. Who ever i'm fighting is fighting for the belt! I know they are training extra hard so i have to do it full time now. I train twice, sometimes three times a day. I enjoy it a lot though. I love the sparring and pushing myself to my limits every day, it's great, i just love to fight. I love getting hit and hitting and the learning that comes with it.”
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:::snipped:::
Last edited by Jarrod; 08-20-2009 at 02:04 PM.
Reason: No links in first 5 posts please
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