Jared
Cannonier is willing to rebook the Khamzat
Chimaev fight if he is guaranteed a title shot next.
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While Cannonier was
offered a short-notice booking against Chimaev at
UFC 294, “The Killa Gorilla” suffered an MCL tear in practice
shortly after getting the call. Chimaev welcomed former
welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman to middleweight instead, edging out a majority decision
win.
“Borz” claims to have been guaranteed a title shot with a win over
Usman and has
voiced his frustration about the delay in proceedings. However,
Cannonier believes he also has a legitimate claim to title
contention and wouldn’t mind taking on Chimaev in a No. 1 contender
fight.
“It’ll sound cool to say, ‘I’m your huckleberry.’ It does sound
cool,” Cannonier told Inside Fighting. “At this point in time, he’s ranked
No. 9. I’m down to make it happen, as long as it’s clear that this
is a contender’s match. … When I get back, if they’re not going to
give me the title [shot, then I want] the next best thing, the
thing that gets me to the title. And if you say that’s Khamzat,
let’s do it.”
Chimaev has recently shown a tendency to slow down in the later
rounds due to his relentless pace and pressure. As a result,
Cannonier would prefer 25 minutes on the clock against the
undefeated Chechen.
“They really want to push him to the title,” Cannonier said. “He
really wants to get to the title, and I’m right here. I shouldn’t
have to say, ‘Hey, I want a title shot.’ It’s clear and evident
that the ass I’ve been kicking says that I want the title shot. So,
if it’s not going to be the title next, I will definitely fight the
next guy in line. And if it’s Khamzat, let’s make that happen.
Let’s do a fiver – let’s see what he’s got in five rounds.”
Cannonier’s only loss in his last five outings was a failed gold
bid against Israel
Adesanya in 2022. “The Killa Gorilla” has since bounced back
with consecutive wins over Sean
Strickland Marvin
Vettori.