Glover Teixeira vs. Jimi Manuwa seems inevitable.

Manuwa called for a fight with Teixeira at the UFC London card on March 17, and then criticized the Brazilian for not accepting the contest. Six weeks after his recent win over Misha Cirkunov, Teixeira explained why he chose to turn down the offer.

”This Jimi Manuwa fight was supposed to be in March, but I was waiting for Cormier’s fight because I had a chance of fighting him,” Teixeira said. “Gustafsson was injured, I was waiting for this chance that could happen, but unfortunately Cormier went to heavyweight, which is a good move for him.”

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was scheduled to defend his title against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 on Jan 20, and won via second-round TKO. With Alexander Gustafsson recovering from surgery, Cormier was matched-up against heavyweight king Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, after they both coach the 27th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

”I think that he went up because Gustafsson wouldn’t come back before June or July, and then he comes back, I don’t know,” Teixeira said. “But Jimi Manuwa, we will definitely fight in the future. I’m saving one for him.”

With Teixeira unavailable, Manuwa will take on Jan Blachowicz at UFC London.

When “DC” collides with Miocic inside the Octagon on July 7, the Brazilian thinks the light heavyweight star definitely has a chance.

”I would’ve done the same thing if I was him,” Teixeira said. “Cormier is an excellent fighter. He will fight a really tough fighter, but he has a chance at winning, for sure. He’s a good wrestler. Cormier already fought at heavyweight and never lost. We’ll see. Miocic is dominating at heavyweight, but I don’t know. It’s hard to say. Cormier is the underdog, but he has a chance.”

Cormier doesn’t plan on defending both titles if he’s victorious in Las Vegas, and Teixeira won’t ask for an interim belt for the light heavyweight division even if it’s highly unlikely that Cormier defends his title before the fourth quarter of 2018.

”I don’t know. It’s complicated,” Teixeira said. “I’ll get my next fight done and focus on it instead of thinking about what may or may not happen. I’ll just train and fight because that’s my job. I’ll leave the rest with your guys from the media and the managers.”

With a 5-3 record since losing to then-champion Jon Jones in 2014, Teixeira hopes to be back inside the Octagon around April or May.