Retired UFC light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa has been accused of landing a cheap shot on Aleksandar Rakic at UFC London.
Problem is, neither man was scheduled to fight that night. As a matter of fact, Manuwa has been retired for several years now — with his final fight coming against none other than Rakic himself.
Rakic (14-3), currently healing up from surgery, knocked out Manuwa in Stockholm, Sweden in July of 2019 care of a head kick. He took to social media Sunday to give his side of the incident that transpired during Saturday’s Fight Night event at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Hey Jimi,
I thought you were still asleep?#UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/ebdKQv4QQm— Aleksandar Rakic (@rakic_ufc) July 24, 2022
“Jimi Manuwa, you piece of sh*t. You son of a b*tch. What a p*ssy move you did last night on me,” Rakic said in his video statement, addressing Manuwa directly before turning his attention to fight fans.
“Guys, I would just let you know that after the event at UFC London, the security was escorting me to the transfer back to the hotel, and ‘Mr. Still Sleep’ was sitting in my row at the end of the row, so I needed to pass by. And I passed by and he talked to me something— I didn’t really pay attention, first. And second, I have nothing to do with that guy. For me, this is over,” Rakic continued. “So I started to turn away and he sucker-punched me. And even in that close range he couldn’t catch my head. I think he caught me with the forearm on my neck. The security was so fast here and they separated us.”
“Man, what a f*cking p*ssy move. You knew that I would be alone in London by myself,” Rakic stated, turning his focus back to Manuwa himself once again. “You know that I had surgery nine weeks ago and you did this. Man, you’re such a bad loser. I want the people to know what a piece of sh*t you are. You know, I’m going to stay in your head forever. I retired you, I knocked you out, and the world saw that. So happy retirement, ‘Mr. Sleep.’”
While some might stay quiet or deny such an altercation took place — or at least give a different account of the events — Manuwa’s response has been to apparently own up to it, calling Rakic a “keyboard warrior” who “The Poster Boy” seems to feel deserved the assault.
“The fight is the fight and we all win and lose which is part of it. When [you] try to talk shit months after the fight on twitter like every one of the keyboard warriors I promised you I will slap you when I see you. I saw you last night, how dare [you] think I wouldn’t,” Manuwa responded on his own verified social media profile.
Manuwa (17-6), a former UCMMA light heavyweight champion, competed for the UFC from 2012 to 2019, posting a 6-6 record in that span. He closed out his career with four consecutive losses, the last of which was at the hands (or well, foot) of Aleksandar Rakic.
