The former UFC title challenger is hoping that it’s third times the charm for him this weekend in Las Vegas.
At 40-years-old, Jared Cannonier is the oldest middleweight contender who is currently in the division’s top 15 rankings. ‘Killa Gorilla’ may have come up short in his one UFC title fight against Israel Adesanya but wins over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland saw him bounce back in style.
Unfortunately, as he admits himself, 2024 was a bad year for Cannonier who lost back-to-back main event bouts against rising stars in Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. He returns this weekend in a main event clash with Gregory Rodrigues where he hopes to turn his fortunes around.
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Jared Cannonier knows that stakes that hang over his upcoming bout with Gregory Rodrigues
Jared Cannonier knows what the score is in this next matchup that he finds himself in on February 15.
Brazil’s Gregory Rodrigues has won three in a row but after coming into this fight without a ranking next to his name, that will undoubtedly change if he’s able to get past the #7-ranked contender at the UFC Apex.
Cannonier is confident that he can still compete at the highest level but the first three-fight losing skid of his career would be a difficult obstacle to come back from.
He spoke in a recent interview with MMA Junkie about what this fight means for his career and why it could be one last roll of the dice for the 25-fight veteran. “One more time,” he began. “I guess we’ll give it one more shot.
“I do appreciate them giving me another main event. I’m aware of who Gregory Rodrigues is, and it’s a tough challenge.
“I’m appreciative of that, that I have another challenge to overcome. That’s what’s expected in this organization. I’m in the position that I find myself in because I didn’t win those last two fights.”
Jared Cannonier has quickly found himself in a potential gatekeeper spot
There is certainly no shame in Jared Cannonier losing to Imavov and Borralho who have ascended up the middleweight rankings as two of the most in-form contenders in the division right now.
That being said, there’s a big difference in losing to one of those two names and suffering a loss to Rodrigues who despite being a fan favorite, has not achieved the same kind of success during his career as of yet.
This fight is about Cannonier showing that there are levels to the division by denying Rodrigues entry into the top 15. Just 12 months ago, ‘Killa Gorilla’ was seemingly one fight away from another crack at the 185-pound gold but a lot can change in that amount of time at the highest level.