Before Kamaru
Usman stepped up, the opportunity was supposed to belong to
Jared
Cannonier.
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In a recent interview with Submission Radio,
Cannonier revealed that he was offered the fight against Khamzat
Chimaev at
UFC 294, but an injury suffered shortly thereafter prevented
him from accepting the bout. Ultimately, Chimaev defeated Usman via
majority decision in Saturday’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi.
“I got the call to step in to fight Chimaev,” Cannonier said. “But
unfortunately, before I could tell my manager to tell the UFC yes,
I had injured myself. So I wasn’t able to take that fight on 10
days. They called me on the 10th. They called me, offered me that
fight – before they offered it to Usman, they offered it to me. So
it would have been me. It could have easily been me.”
Cannonier has won four of his last five UFC appearances, a run that
includes a split-decision triumph over current middleweight
champion Sean
Strickland. That would have made him an ideal matchup for
Chimaev in a title eliminator. Instead, “The Killa Gorilla” tore
his MCL in training shortly after receiving the call from the UFC
to potentially compete at UFC 294.
“So finally, 10 days before the fight, they give me the call—11
days before the fight they give me the call and say, ‘OK, we’ll
give you a title shot. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. But let me
go ahead and discuss this with my coaches like we always do and
I’ll call you back with an emphatic yes,’” Cannonier said.
“But not 40 minutes into practice, we’re working, I get hit with a
mat return. I’m getting up, we’re working get-ups and stuff—Of
course we’re working get-ups, right? Because I’m not expecting to
not get taken down by Khamzat. I’m expecting that this guy’s going
to be able to take me down, but he’s not going to be able to keep
me down. And the answer in my mind is always no, they’re never able
to keep me down, and he ain’t no different. So that’s why I was
working get-ups—And I got up, I got hit with a mat return. And when
I hit the mat, I hit the mat in the way to where my left hip and my
right foot hit the mat at the same time and just the downward force
of me hitting the ground in that manner went right to my MCL, tore
the MCL. I got the MRI, verified it. So this opportunity had
slipped by me. Not only an hour after receiving the opportunity,
does it slip through my hands in that manner.”
In addition to missing out on a chance to earn a title shot at UFC
294, the injury will force Cannonier to withdraw from a proposed
matchup against Roman
Dolidze at UFC Austin on Dec. 2.
“I’m scheduled to have surgery on it this Thursday, actually,”
Cannonier said. “So the fight in December is not going to happen,
and the UFC knows this. I’ve already told them. They already know.
We’re working on getting the insurance and all this stuff done. So
I guess this is the official thing and official breaking news – if
there’s ever been breaking news with my name in it.”
Cannonier last appeared at UFC on ESPN 47, where he earned a
five-round verdict over Marvin
Vettori in the evening’s headliner on June 17. The 40-year-old
MMA Lab Representative is 10-6 during his promotional tenure but
has won seven of his last nine appearances dating back to November
2018.