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