Jared
Cannonier (17-6) is at a crucial juncture in his Ultimate
Fighting Championship career.
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Currently No. 4 in the middleweight division according to the UFC
rankings, Cannonier’s title aspirations have been reignited by
Sean
Strickland’s recent title win over Israel
Adesanya at UFC 293.
“The Killa Gorilla” scored a controversial split decision win over
Strickland last December, which “Tarzan” contests to this day.
Cannonier believes Adesanya’s performance against Strickland
doesn’t warrant an immediate rematch and has made his case for the
next title shot.
Cannonier, who was also the backup for the UFC 293 headliner, has
now been offered another fight, but he isn’t especially excited
about the opportunity.
“They’ve offered me a fight already, and it’s not as tempting as a
title fight,” Cannonier told Sportskeeda MMA
Originals. “You know what I mean? Hell, it’s not even as
tempting as my last fight, to be honest.”
There have also previously been talks of a potential clash between
Cannonier and Khamzat
Chimaev at middleweight. According to Cannonier, Chimaev is a
bigger draw than the opponent he has been offered.
“I mean, Chimaev is a bigger piece of meat than what they offered
me,” Cannonier said. “So, when I go in there and smash him, they
can’t deny me the title shot, I mean theoretically.”
However, Cannonier isn’t completely dismissing the idea of
accepting the UFC’s current offer and is waiting on Strickland’s
next move.
“I wanna hear what the champ has to say about what he wants
next…When he fought me he wasn’t screaming in my face,” Cannonier
said. “He wasn’t walking forward when he fought me. He was dodging
bombs.”