logo
Michael Bisping suggests rematch for UFC Fight Night 251 winner Jared Cannonier next

Michael Bisping suggests rematch for UFC Fight Night 251 winner Jared Cannonier next

USA Today18-02-2025

Michael Bisping would like to see Jared Cannonier run things back with a familiar foe after UFC Fight Night 251.
Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) snapped a two-fight losing skid when he rallied to finish Gregory Rodrigues (16-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday's headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Cannonier admits that by looking at the landscape at 185 pounds, he's unsure what's next. Bisping likes the idea of a rematch with former champion Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC), who beat Cannonier by unanimous decision at UFC 254 in October 2020.
'Other than Caio Borralho, who is a surging contender, and (Nassourdine) Imavov, who's ranked No. 1, he's beaten most people,' Bisping said on his YouTube channel. 'Gregory Rodrigues, Marvin Vettori, split decision over Sean Strickland.
'Yes, he lost in a title fight to Israel Adesanya, beat Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum. You've got to go back to (2020) though, when he fought and lost in a close decision-ish to Robert Whittaker. That is the fight.'
Whittaker is coming off a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 this past October. Prior to that, he scored back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov.
Bisping sees Whittaker vs. Cannonier as the perfect matchup for both fighters.
'A rematch five years in the making, I think that makes all the sense in the world,' Bisping said. 'Robert would want it because he'd look at it as a good fight to find his mojo, to come back from, to get a win, to get back in the win column, to beat somebody that he's beaten before.
'And of course for Jared Cannonier, at 40 years old, Robert Whittaker is a massive household name in mixed martial arts. Everyone would want to see that fight and it's a chance for Jared to get that one back.'
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Demetrious Johnson: UFC champion Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes 'is a very bad idea'
Demetrious Johnson: UFC champion Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes 'is a very bad idea'

USA Today

time31 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Demetrious Johnson: UFC champion Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes 'is a very bad idea'

Demetrious Johnson: UFC champion Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes 'is a very bad idea' Demetrious Johnson thinks Amanda Nunes is a bad matchup for new UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison. Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) claimed the bantamweight title by submitting Julianna Peña (12-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 316 co-main event. Immediately after her win, she welcomed Nunes into the octagon for a faceoff. Johnson had an interesting take on what Harrison should do next. "If I was Kayla Harrison, I would retire from the sport," Johnson said on his YouTube channel. "Don't fight Amanda Nunes." Johnson thinks former UFC dual-champion Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) has the far better resume than Harrison, and will pose big problems for her. "Kayla Harrison is calling out Amanda Nunes. I think that's a very, very bad idea," Johnson said. "Yes, Kayla Harrison is a world champion, but when you look at the roster of what Amanda Nunes fought and what Kayla Harrison fought, there's no f*cking comparison. There's not one comparison at all. You had Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, (Germaine De Randamie), Valentina Shevchenko. Just the talent pool Amanda Nunes has fought in mixed martial arts, blows everything that Kayla Harrison has done in her entire career, just the talent pool. "Amanda Nunes doesn't need to come out of retirement. I think the only thing that's enticing her to come out of retirement is probably how easy the fight might be. They trained together. ... She's got to get Amanda Nunes down. Amanda Nunes is not a very small girl. She's very big. She's very strong for her size. I think for Amanda Nunes if she comes back, she is putting her legacy on the line, but it's not something that I'm jumping out of my seat to see. I'd rather see Amanda Nunes stay retired, and then maybe see Kayla Harrison fight one more time and then retire."

Joshua Van calls out Brandon Moreno for Noche UFC showdown in Texas
Joshua Van calls out Brandon Moreno for Noche UFC showdown in Texas

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Joshua Van calls out Brandon Moreno for Noche UFC showdown in Texas

Joshua Van calls out Brandon Moreno for Noche UFC showdown in Texas Show Caption Hide Caption UFC 316: Joshua Van post-fight interview UFC 316 winner Joshua Van spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his third-round TKO of Bruno Silva. NEWARK, N.J. – Joshua Van met the media Saturday after his third-round TKO win over Bruno Silva at UFC 316. Van (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) finished Silva (14-7-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) with about a minute left in their flyweight fight to close out the preliminary card at Prudential Center. It was Van's fourth straight win; he was the biggest betting favorite on the card at more than 7-1. Over the past 24 months, Van has fought eight times. He said he wants to fight former champion Brandon Moreno in September at Noche UFC in San Antonio. Van lives and trains in Houston. 'Brandon Moreno, before I got to the UFC, he was always nice to me,' Van said. I didn't call him out to be disrespectful. If they give me him, I'll be ready. If they want to give me someone else, I'll be ready, too. 'The confidence – when it comes to fighting (those of us who fight frequently) enjoy it. It just comes natural. That's what it is.' Check out Van's post-fight news conference in the video above.

Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'

Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out' Cory Sandhagen acknowledges that there's only one way he can dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) beat Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in even more definitive fashion when he submitted him in their title-fight rematch, which headlined Saturday's UFC 316 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) reacted to Dvalishvili's win. "It was great – Merab did an awesome job," Sandhagen told ESPN on the UFC 316 headliner. "I kind of anticipated that Merab was even going to look better in this fight just when I was thinking about it a little more, and he did awesome. He got the finish, and I'm sure that that's what he was looking for, and I'm happy for him. Me and Merab have a really good rapport together, so I'm happy for him." Sandhagen, who's coming off a finish of Deiveson Figueiredo last month, was in attendance, and is expected to be next in line for Dvalishvili. "I was kind of surprised that O'Malley decided to move as much as he was," Sandhagen said. "That's a very tough thing to do against a guy that's going to press like that. When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive, and I'm looking forward to tha. Merab is the best guy in the division. He's maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out." With Dvalishvili on a 13-fight winning streak, Sandhagen says "The Machine" has to be stopped. "Yeah, you've got to knock that guy out," Sandhagen said. "That's it. You've just got to knock that guy out."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store