https://youtu.be/aE-TMv8jyBs

Last night, on the main card of UFC 204, England’s Jimi Manuwa took his first steps into the Octagon since he was knocked stiff by Anthony “Rumble” Johnson more than a year ago. His opponent in this return to action was Ovince St. Preux, who recently contended for the interim light heavyweight title against pound-for-pound great Jon Jones.

Though St. Preux represented one of the starkest challenges of his career, Manuwa rose to the occasion in the biggest way possible. After a tough first round of grappling, the Brit began to soften his American foe up with thudding shots to the midsection. From there, it was only a matter of time before he landed the punch that mattered: a blistering left hand that left St. Preux crumpled against the cage in an unconscious heap.

Manuwa’s incredible knockout win – which earned him a $50,000 performance of the night bonus – can be viewed above.

With this win, Manuwa now sits at a solid 16-2 overall, with his lone losses coming against top-ranked fighters in Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson. Though he’s a bit short on time at 36 years old, he’s undoubtedly ready for another big step up the light heavyweight ladder.

St. Preux, meanwhile, finds himself on a tough two-fight skid, and will have to put in some real work if he wants to be considered a legitimate light heavyweight contender again.

What did you think of Manuwa’s thunderous knockout of Ovince St. Preux? Sound off, PENN nation!