Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa set for March 8 headliner in London

According to ‘The Telegraph,’ UFC light heavyweight contender, Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), will still headline the UFC’s return to London this March, now opposite undefeated slugger Jimi Manuwa (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Gustafsson was originally slated to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the evenings main event, but “Lil Nog” was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a lingering back injury.

Since turning pro in 2008, Jimi Manuwa has been on a terror, going a perfect 14-0, with all 14 victories coming by form of stoppage. The “Poster Boy” was last seen in action at October’s “UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Machida” event in London, where he earned a second-round TKO victory over Canadian Ryan Jimmo.

Prior to the bout with Jimmo, Manuwa had scored TKO wins over Cyrille Diabate and Kyle Kingsbury respectively. The London-based fighter could rocket to the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division with a win over Gustafsson this March.

Meanwhile, Alexander Gustafsson is coming off a “Fight of the year” performance opposite champion Jon “Bones” Jones at September’s UFC 165 event in Toronto. Unfortunately for fans of “The Mauler,” the powerful Swede came out on the losing end of the judges decision that evening. Prior to the Jones loss, Gus had strung together 6 straight victories inside the octagon, including wins over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Thiago Silva and James Te-Huna.

Gustafsson vs. Manuwa is set for March 8 live from the O2 Arena in London, England. Stay tuned to bjpenn.com for further updates as they become available.

In the meantime, who do you have winning this one? Let’s hear it Penn Nation!