Ryan Jimmo has been Canada’s top light-heavyweight mixed martial artist for years, but he came up short against England’s Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 30.
The Alberta-based Jimmo, who trains with the Blackzilian team in Florida, suffered a second-round TKO loss Saturday in Manchester, England after injuring his leg.
UFC Fight Night 30 preliminary card recap
In the first round, as the two fighters felt one another out, they traded several hard kicks and battled for position along the cage. Manuwa seemed to find his range and timing quicker than Jimmo, though the Canadian came on stronger at the end of the round.
Jimmo often pressed Manuwa against the cage, which resulted in boos, but the referee continuously separated them due to lack of action. When the two stood in the centre of the Octagon, Manuawa landed the crisper strikes and had a slightly higher output throughout the fight.
With 30 seconds remaining in the second round, Manuwa landed a solid combination, but as Jimmo backed away he appeared to injured his left leg and fell to the ground and the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Manuawa improved to 14-0 in MMA and the win was his third consecutive victory in the UFC — all three happened to be by either injury or doctor stoppage.
Jimmo, the former Maximum Fighting Championship 205-pound kingpin, has alternated wins and losses since debuting in the UFC in July 2012.
This was just the second time in Jimmo’s six-year MMA career he fought outside of Canada; he lost a unanimous decision to James Te-Huna in February at London’s Wembley arena.
