Even at 40 years old, Jared
Cannonier isn’t here to be a steppingstone in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.
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He proved that on Saturday night, when he rallied for a
fourth-round technical knockout victory against Gregory
Rodrigues in the UFC
Vegas 102 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues
entered the bout having won five of his last six Octagon
appearances, but “The Killa Gorilla” denied the Brazilian’s entry
into the upper echelon of the division.
Cannonier balked at the notion that he was settling into a
gatekeeper role at this point in his MMA career.
“I don’t think anybody’s put that tag on me. It’s just when I was
doing all these interviews, the way I was answering the questions
it sounded as if I was a gatekeeper,” Cannonier said at Saturday’s
post-fight press conference. “Because you guys kept saying ‘you’re
fighting this up and comer, you’re fighting a second up and comer,
you’re fighting another up and comer.’ Doesn’t that sound like
‘hey, you’re a gatekeeper’?
“I was just illustrating it sounds like I’m a gatekeeper. That’s
not how I see myself though. That’s never how I’m going to see
myself. That’s never what I’m going to be. I’m not a
gatekeeper.”
It was a much-needed return to the win colum for the MMA Lab
product, who was coming off back-to-back defeats against Nassourdine
Imavov and Caio
Borralho.
“It feels great, man,” Cannonier said. “2024 was losses – not just
in the Octagon, but loss in my personal life, as well. 2024, I’m so
happy to put that behind me. I’m so happy 2025 is getting off on a
good note, on a good foot. Camp was great. I learned a lot
throughout camp. The whole fight week process was awesome.”
Cannonier has seen just about everything since moving to
middleweight. A former title challenger, Saturday marked his eighth
main event under the UFC banner. Cannonier is 5-3 in those bouts,
and as a result of that schedule, has fought many of the division’s
biggest names. Nonetheless, Cannonier is still seeking another
high-profile matchup for his next Octagon appearance. If that means
a rematch, then so be it.
“If you were to look at the rankings, I would like a ranked
opponent for sure. I think I’m definitely going to get a ranked
opponent after that victory,” he said. “I would like somebody
ranked higher than me. Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher
than me are either in line to get a title shot or [they] are going
to wait for a title shot or just beat me. But I’m not going rule
anything out. If they say ‘Hey Jared, we need you to fight Dricus
[Du Plessis] next for the belt.’ I’m like hell yes, I’m ready.