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Jimi Manuwa faces Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214 in Anaheim

Published May. 31, 2017 1:04 p.m. ET

Damon Martin

UFC president Dana White promised that Jimi Manuwa would compete on the same upcoming card as Daniel Cormier versus Jon Jones to serve as backup just in case one of the main event fighters was knocked off the card.

Now Manuwa has his opponent as he will face surging contender Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214 on July 29 in Anaheim.

UFC officials announced the new pairing on Wednesday.

Manuwa (17-2) has been clawing his way into title contention following two straight knockout wins over Ovince Saint Preux and Corey Anderson.

It also didn't hurt that Manuwa has engaged in a bitter war of words with current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier that earned him a slice of the spotlight in recent months.

Now the heavy-handed knockout artist from England will face a stiff test in July if he wants to prove he's really ready for championship contention.

Oezdemir (14-1) has made quite a splash since arriving in the UFC with two wins in a row including a stunning 28-second knockout over highly touted prospect Misha Cirkunov last weekend in Sweden.

Immediately after his win, Oezdemir campaigned for a fight with Manuwa while knowing that the UFC wanted to put him on the July 29 card.

Now the Swiss fighter will get his opportunity to face Manuwa in Anaheim as part of the same card where Cormier and Jones will square off in the main event with the light heavyweight title on the line.

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