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Lawler-Cerrone, Manuwa-Oezdemir bouts highlight depth of UFC 214

Donald Cerrone, left, battles Matt Brown during their bout at UFC 206 in Toronto.
(Peter Power / Associated Press)
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Three title fights illustrate the quality of the UFC 214 card on Saturday at Honda Center, but the pay-per-view card will include two other compelling fights that show the depth of the Anaheim event.

What makes the card a candidate to challenge some of the strongest events in organization history goes beyond the Daniel Cormier-Jon Jones light-heavyweight championship bout, Tyron Woodley’s third welterweight title defense and Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s attempt to become the featherweight champion.

The pay-per-view card also features a welterweight brawl between former champion Robbie Lawler and fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, with a compelling light-heavyweight bout between top-five contenders Jimi Manuwa and Volkan Oezdemir.

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“It’s one of the best cards in the history of the company and obviously the best card of the year,” UFC President Dana White said.

Lawler (27-11) lost his belt to Woodley last year and is eager to return to title contention after White said former champion Georges St-Pierre is next in line for the Woodley-Demian Maia winner.

“I’m always just going to go out there and be me. When I fight, the fans enjoy it,” Lawler said. “[St-Pierre’s position] is what it is. It’s a business. I don’t control anything other than Saturday night, so I need to go out there and beat somebody up.

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“I feel good about matching up with anybody. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I was the best in the world. That’s the reason I’ve kept striving, even when I was down.”

The entertainment value of fighting former lightweight champion Cerrone seems a given.

“This is a big one, I’m proud to be on the card,” Cerrone said. “Beside the Cormier-Jones rematch, ours is a fighters’ fight. If I was a fan, I’d be … ‘I’m tuning in to that … these two [guys] meeting in the middle.’ You know that’s how it’s going to end up.

“Good fight, the kind I really get to get in there and have a good time.”

Cerrone (32-8) overcame a staph infection in his right knee after getting burned helping a motorcyclist pick up his fallen Harley Davidson. The injury required 10 days of treatment in a hospital and caused him to be pulled off the UFC 213 card.

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Third-ranked Manuwa (17-2) was placed on the card in case there was a withdrawal by Jones or Cormier. Jones tested positive for a banned substance last year on fight week, while Cormier nearly missed weight in April.

Manuwa said he now feels comfortable that Cormier-Jones will happen, and is focused on the test of Oezdemir, a hard puncher coming off a May knockout victory.

Being a replacement has “never been a distraction. I just trained for a fight,” Manuwa said. “Even if [Cormier] doesn’t make the weight, there’ll still be a fight. But that’s his problem, not mine.

“One more win, and I should fight for the belt,” Manuwa added. “I feel Jones wins the fight, but I’ve got a fight as well, and I feel my fight ends by knockout. [Oezdemir] has made a name for himself quickly. But I’ve knocked out everyone they’ve put in front of me, so I’m ready.”

Oezdemir said his first-round knockout of Misha Cirkunov on May 28, delivered by a right hand, can’t be banked upon given Manuwa’s strength.

“He has more power, more patience in loading his shots and I’m more of a guy who moves a lot and tries to put on pressure,” Oezdemir said.

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Trying to win a fight-of-the-night or knockout-of-the-night bonus on this card is a challenge.

“It’s going to be really tough with so many big names and good fights,” Oezdemir said. “I have many to beat, so I’ll just go for the biggest knockout I can get. A knockout of Jimi would be a game-changer for me, and maybe it’d mean a title shot.”

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