Jared Cannonier wants another title shot, and he’ll fight whoever he needs to to get it.
On Saturday night, Cannonier turned in arguably the best performance of his career, winning a unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Vegas 75. The win cemented Cannonier’s place as one of the top middleweights in the world, and he believes it puts him right back into the title conversation.
“The way I see the immediate future going, Robert [Whittaker] is going to fight Dricus [Du Plessis]; I know Israel [Adesanya] wants to fight Dricus so bad, but I feel with my performance, as far as the guys who make that decision go, I’m sure that puts my name well up there in that area,” Cannonier said at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 75 post-fight press conference. “I’m not really concerned myself with what may or may not be, I’m just going to focus on the next fight. I’m going to get back in the gym, get back to making myself better, get back to improving on my skills, and worry about the next fight.”
Whittaker faces Du Plessis in a No. 1 contender’s match at UFC 290, leaving Cannonier without an obvious next opponent. Fortunately, there is one name that fans have quickly gravitated towards: Khamzat Chimaev.
And while Cannonier isn’t champing at the bit to fight Chimaev just for the fun of it, if a title shot is on the line, “Tha Killa Gorilla” is more than ready.
“Does that fight get me a title shot? You think so? I don’t know. He’s not even ranked at middleweight, is he?” Cannonier said when asked about facing Chimaev. “I know he’s popular. Everybody wants to see him do his thing and stuff like that. If they called me and said, ‘Hey, Khamzat for contender’s match?’ That’s a yes.
“I’m trying to get to the title. I’m not just fighting to entertain you people. I know you guys want to see it. I know it would be a good fight. If that gets me the title shot, yes. I just beat No. 3. I’m not looking back, I’m looking forward. I’m looking at the champion. So if Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] and them say, ‘He’s between you and the champion,’ that’s something we can talk about. But if you’re saying, ‘Would you fight Khamzat and welcome him to the division?’ I’m like, does that get me to the title? That’s the question I’d have for you.”
Chimaev is one of the most highly touted rising stars in MMA, but he has not competed in almost a year, when he badly missed weight for a welterweight fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 279. That incident ultimately seems to have led Chimaev to move up to middleweight, where, given his stardom, “Borz” is likely only a win or two away from a title shot.
That means a Chimaev matchup should put Cannonier in a good spot to fight for the title, but there’s always another option he would be more than happy to take: Serving as the backup fighter for Adesanya’s rumored title defense at UFC 293 in Sydney.
“Yeah, man, we get paid for those moments,” Cannonier said when asked about serving as the backup. “I’m more than happy to step in for that opportunity, get paid even if I don’t fight. You still get paid a little bit, so I’m happy with that. And I wouldn’t mind a trip to Sydney. I’ve never been to Australia before, I’ve always wanted to go.”