Jimi Manuwa Injured, Ovince St. Preux To Fight Shogun

There have been numerous fights rescheduled and a few large announcements coming from the UFC today (October 29, 2014). This included Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano being switched from the co-main event of UFC 182 to the co-main event of UFC 184. It was also announced that Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury will take place at UFC 182 instead of UFC Fight Night 59.

But it looks as if these are not the only changes happening in the near future.

The Injury bug (although by now, it could be called an “injury epidemic” rather than a bug) has struck the UFC once again, as it has been confirmed that Jimi Manuwa suffered a broken foot and has been forced out of his November 8, 2014 main event bout against Shogun Rua. Ovince St. Preux, who was scheduled to take on Francimar Barroso in the co-main event of the card, has stepped up to take on Rua in the main event on Fox Sports 1.

UFC President Dana White took to his official Instagram account to confirm the news:

Jimmy Manuwa broke his foot for his Nov 8th fight with Shogun. So now Ovince St Preux will fight Shogun live on @foxsports1

A photo posted by Dana White (@danawhiteufc) on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:46pm PDT

Shogun is undoubtedly one of the best light heavyweights to ever compete in the sport. He is a former UFC champion as well as a former Pride champion, but the Brazilian has fallen on some rough times as of late. Losing four out of his last six bouts, many thought Shogun should retire, but the fighting legend did not agree. It seems as if he is still hungry to compete and should be motivated to get back on track.

However, this may not be easy with the new switch of opponents. Manuwa is known as a very polished striker, while OSP may not be seen in this light. St. Preux is a very well-conditioned athlete with solid wrestling skills and solid striking skills, although not on the level of the British Manuwa.

The former college football player is in a similar situation, looking to get back on track after suffering a one-sided decision loss to Ryan Bader his last time out.

It will be interesting to see how each man is prepared for their new opponent on only 10 days notice. Will it be Rua or St. Preux who returns to the win column?