Introduction
UFC Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa took place on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom — broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass with no US television network coverage. Alexander Gustafsson — fresh from his epic five-round war with Jon Jones at UFC 165 just six months earlier — headlined against Jimi Manuwa, the British light heavyweight who entered 14-0 and unfinished in his professional career. Gustafsson TKO’d him in round three, breaking his undefeated record in front of an electric London crowd.
Gunnar Nelson earned Performance of the Night for his welterweight submission of Omari Akhmedov. The card was a strong showcase for British and European MMA: alongside Manuwa and Nelson, the card featured Brad Pickett, Luke Barnatt, and Ilir Latifi — all fighters with significant European followings.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, March 8, 2014
📍 Venue: The O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom
📺 Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass (exclusive — no US network)
🏆 Main Event: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa — Light Heavyweight (Manuwa entered 14-0)
✅ Result: Gustafsson def. Manuwa via TKO (punches) — R3 (Manuwa’s first career loss)
Main Event: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa
Manuwa had knocked out every single professional opponent he faced up to this point — all 14 finishes by KO or TKO. He was the most feared finisher in European light heavyweight MMA and was making his case for a UFC top-five ranking. Gustafsson’s boxing, his reach, and his movement were the perfect stylistic answer. He controlled the range for two rounds, landing cleaner shots and moving out of Manuwa’s power range. In the third, he walked Manuwa onto a combination, dropped him, and finished with ground punches before the referee intervened. Manuwa’s undefeated record and his KO streak both ended simultaneously. The London crowd was stunned into respect.
Full Results
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Alexander Gustafsson def. Jimi Manuwa — TKO (punches) — R3 — Light Heavyweight (Manuwa’s first career loss; broke 14-0 record)
Michael Johnson def. Melvin Guillard — Lightweight
Brad Pickett def. Neil Seery — Bantamweight
Gunnar Nelson def. Omari Akhmedov — Welterweight (PoN $50k)
Ilir Latifi def. Cyrille Diabate — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card
Luke Barnatt def. Mats Nilsson — Middleweight
Claudio Silva def. Brad Scott — Welterweight
Igor Araújo def. Danny Mitchell — Welterweight
Louis Gaudinot vs. Phil Harris — No Contest — Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Gunnar Nelson — $50,000 (submission of Omari Akhmedov)
Records & Milestones
• Jimi Manuwa’s first professional loss — ended his 14-0 undefeated record and his 14-fight KO/TKO finishing streak.
• Alexander Gustafsson’s bounce-back from the controversial Jon Jones decision loss — demonstrated he remained an elite LHW contender.
Legacy & Impact
Gustafsson’s win here re-established him as the number-one light heavyweight contender and eventually led to a rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 232 in December 2018, which Jones won by TKO in the third round. Manuwa recovered from the loss to post two wins before meeting Gustafsson again at UFC 232 — losing by second-round KO. He remained a dangerous finisher in the division through 2019. The O2 London card demonstrated the UFC’s increasing confidence in the UK market as a Fight Pass destination capable of selling out major arenas without US network support.
FAQ
What was Gustafsson’s status coming into this fight?
Gustafsson had just come off the most acclaimed non-title fight in recent UFC history: his five-round war with Jon Jones at UFC 165 in September 2013, which Jones won by unanimous decision in a split that many observers felt could have gone the other way. The fight elevated Gustafsson to the status of the clearest LHW title contender behind Jones. The Manuwa fight was his first since that Jones bout, and he won with authority.
What was Jimi Manuwa’s significance as an unbeaten fighter?
Manuwa was a British-Nigerian fighter born in London who had built his record entirely on violent KO/TKO finishes. All 14 of his professional wins had ended before the final bell. In the UFC, he had KO’d Ryan Jimmo and Cyrille Diabate in his first two fights. He came into the Gustafsson fight as a genuine dark horse for the UFC light heavyweight title. His loss ended both the winning streak and the finishing streak simultaneously, but he remained in the UFC and became a perennial top-ten LHW until 2019.
Who is Gunnar Nelson and why was his performance notable?
Gunnar Nelson is an Icelandic welterweight widely regarded as one of the finest pure grapplers to compete in the UFC. He trained under John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland — the same gym as Conor McGregor — and his submission game (mostly rear-naked chokes and rear-naked choke setups from the back) had made him a fan favourite for grappling purists. His submission of Akhmedov was a typically efficient performance: controlling, patient, and clinical. By 2014 he was being discussed as a potential welterweight title dark horse. He was a two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship medallist.