EXCLUSIVE | Jimi Manuwa explains why he still wants to fight David Haye

British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa is one of the best light heavyweight mixed martial artists on earth. And though he is currently riding a tough knockout loss to upcoming light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, he is still only a win or two from his own shot at the belt.

While Manuwa has plenty of interesting options in the UFC light heavyweight division – ranging from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to Glover Teixeira – he has also been flirting with the idea of a boxing match with fellow Brit David Haye.

Apparently, this is still a fight Manuwa is very, very interested in. He explained why Haye is such an appealing opponent on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio.

“It’s all about promoting [the fight], you know, and getting fire behind it as well, you know?” Manuwa explained. “At the end of the day, it’s a business thing as well, so we’ve got to make it happen. It all depends on the money, doesn’t it? The only person I can see fighting in boxing is David Haye. He’s a small heavyweight, there’s no cruiserweights that are big enough to make a bigger, big fight. It’s only David Haye. He’s the only small heavyweight. He fits perfectly into the category, you know?”

At the end of the day, Manuwa is hoping a knockout defeat of David Haye would open the door to more big opportunities, both in the MMA cage and the boxing ring.

“When I knock David Haye out, then people will stand up and listen and take attention. Then big fights will come flooding in. Everyone will want the big fight [with me], they’ll be like, ‘Who’s this MMA fighter who’s just knocked out David Haye?'”

Who do you want to see Jimi Manuwa fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 24/12/2017.