Former UFC middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier could have just four fights left in his career.
It is set to be a big night for the 185-pound division at UFC 319, as champion Dricus du Plessis returns to defend his title for the third time since capturing it from Sean Strickland at the start of 2024.
After getting past Strickland for the second time and Israel Adesanya in their grudge match, the South African is next tasked with stalling the title hopes of an undefeated phenom. Chimaev will challenge Du Plessis in the main event on August 16 at Chicago’s United Center.
Setting the stage for that highly anticipated title clash will be some more ranked middleweights, with Cannonier defending his No. 7 position on the ladder against former Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
At 41, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ knows his time is almost up. But he is not ready to give up on his championship dreams just yet.
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Jared Cannonier knows UFC 319 is the last chance saloon for his title ambitions
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Cannonier looked ahead to his outing on the high-profile UFC 319 pay-per-view card in the ‘Windy City’.
In his most recent fight, Cannonier knocked out Gregory Rodrigues to bounce back from consecutive losses to Caio Borralho and Nassoudine Imavov — two contenders who are set to clash in an expected title eliminator this September.
While his past defeats have put him a fair distance from the championship conversation, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ believes he has time to rectify that, even if the remaining four fights on his current UFC contract prove to be his last.
“A more clear path to the title is all that I wanted,” Cannonier said. “Not that I’m complaining about the fight that I have…but this isn’t the top of my list of fights as far as this point in my career.
“This may very well be my last contract with the UFC. Everybody seems to write me off as if I’m old.
“I plan on performing, getting better, keep on doing what I do, and showing that I’m still capable of competing at the very highest level,” Cannonier continued.
“I only have four more fights to show and prove that. I would like to get the title in that time. I know that it’s possible.”
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Jared Cannonier did not get his wish for UFC 319
Given Cannonier’s hopes to earn a second shot at the middleweight title in the few UFC fights he has left, the 41-year-old was unsurprisingly hoping for a name higher up the pecking order than ‘MVP’.
The Londoner occupies the No. 15 spot at 185 pounds, a position earned when Page debuted in the division against Shara Magomedov in Saudi Arabia this past February, handing the Dagestani his first loss.
But ‘The Killa Gorilla’ was hoping for a bigger assignment after his own February win. Cannonier called out Adesanya and Strickland, two names inside the top five, for rematches.
Nevertheless, ‘Venom’ Page is a high-profile name, and a win over the flashy striker could secure Cannonier the kind of ranked opponent he needs to reignite his title chances.