Billington’s Breakdown: Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate at UFC on Fuel 7

By Roy Billington

On Saturday night former K1 fighter Cyrille Diabate steps into the Octagon in the UK once more to take a fight against the highly-regarded hometown favourite Jimi Manuwa in London at UFC on Fuel 7. This fight features two fighters coming off dominant wins. Manuwa is being labeled as England’s next MMA star, and his opponent is finally reaching his potential within the sport after two solid wins. This piece will break down both fighters, as well as where the fight will likely be won and lost.

Cyrille Diabate

Following a noted career as a kickboxer across the Netherlands and France, Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate transitioned to MMA, which was beginning to garner widespread popularity across Europe. Diabate suffered rough patches early in his career — he even suffered a four-fight losing streak between 2004 and 2005. He then refocused himself and began to develop his complete mixed martial arts game. He soon began to incorporate a submission game into his limited offensive arsenal, and this paid dividends; since then he has amassed a record of 12-3.

Skillswise, Diabate is known for using his range and his vast array of strikes. His kickboxing record includes victories over Rick Roufus and perennial UFC contender Michael Bisping, but as of late he has shown a willingness to secure the takedown and work his ever-improving top game. A turning point for Diabate came in 2010, when after losing to Alexander Gustafsson, he decided to accept his opponent’s offer, and began to train with his former foe’s camp. At Alliance, Diabate finally found the regular bunch of teammates he has always needed training with. Phil Davis has began to shore up his wrestling skills, and the time Diabate has spent with Lloyd Irvin has made him much more dangerous on the ground.

The keys for victory for Diabate are to keep his distance on the feet, throw an abundance of kicks to the legs and body of his opponent, and to try to take the fight to the ground and into the final round.

JimiManuwa

The 32-year-old Manuwa came to MMA from a troubled past — he was imprisoned for robbery in 2003. In 2011, he discussed those troubles with The Croydon Advertiser, explaining that he ran with a bad crowd who, “just wanted money and to have stuff, but rather than work you just wanted it fast.” In addition to robbery and burglary, his penchant for getting into scuffles got him “banned from Croydon nightclubs.” For his part, he does feel remorseful for the effect that his behavior had on his family.

Following a weightlifting injury in 2007, Manuwa turned to MMA as a way to both rehabilitate his injured chest and alleviate his anger. Since then, Manuwa has won 12 straight fights, and from fight to fight, his evolution as a mixed martial artist has been outstanding. In the beginning of his career, Manuwa depended on his brute strength and power to knock out his opponents, but now he uses a mix of footwork and technical striking to render his opponents unconscious.

Skillswise, Manuwa is an open book; he is a predominantly standup-oriented fighter who loves to lead with the left hook and is dominant in the clinch. But although this is common knowledge, none of his opponents thus far have been able to successfully implement a game plan to stop Manuwa from imposing his will.

The Verdict

I see this fight ending brutally and fast. Although Diabate is by far the more accomplished striker in the traditional meaning, he has often been rocked and hit in his MMA career, and Jimi Manuwa arguably has the most one punch knockout power out of anyone “The Snake” has faced in a long time. Look for Manuwa to close the distance early and land one of his trademark left hooks.

UFC on FUEL TV 7: Barao vs. McDonald is due to take place on February 16, 2013 at Wembley Arena in London, UK.

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