Latest news with #Cannonier
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Page ahead of UFC 319: Jared Cannonier powerful, but nowhere near as fast as me
Michael Page expects Jared Cannonier to struggle with his speed at UFC 319. Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meets former middleweight title challenger Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) on the Aug. 16 main card from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+, ESPN, pay-per-view). Cannonier snapped a two-fight losing skid with a come-from-behind knockout of Gregory Rodrigues in the UFC Fight Night 251 headliner. Page says that performance proved that the 41-year-old still has plenty of fight left in him. "Similar to myself, it's the last lap around the track, and he wants to try and get a title shot, and he's pushing for that," Page told MMA Junkie of Cannonier. "Regardless of the losses, he's still motivated and you can see that because he's turned it around, and even in that fight that he won (against Rodrigues), he didn't start so well. He took a heavy shot, got rocked, and managed to come back and turn it back around and win that fight. "It shows his motivations and aspirations still in the sport, regardless of his age. He's still like, 'y'Yep, I still want this.' It means I'm going to be fighting somebody super motivated to move forward, which is amazing, and that's what I want. I want somebody who is as equally excited and motivated as me to make noise and push forward." Cannonier took umbrage with the UFC offering him unranked Page, but "MVP" sees an equal amount to gain for his opponent. "Even though he says I'm not in the division, I think a win over me for him looks exceptional, and I still think he'll be in and amongst the guys at the top five, basically," Page said. "He'll still be close to having that title fight." Breaking the fight down, Page sees plenty of openings on the feet. "Yeah, 100 percent he'll take me down," Page said. "It'll be smart for him to take me down. He's super powerful. He was at heavyweight at one point, then to light heavyweight, then he's come down to middleweight. He's going to carry some of that natural power that he's had from years in his career. He's super powerful, very smart in how he does certain things, and picks his shots really, really well. "I still don't believe he's going to be anywhere near as fast as me – nowhere near, and that's what he's going to struggle in. Watching him against (Robert) Whittaker, because Whittaker's got a nice bounce, what he tried to do is like everybody: Chop your legs down first, but then leaves himself very open for jabs and shots down the middle. Every time he's gotten caught is shots down the middle because he likes to open his hands and get those big hooks and land those big shots. But for me, speed kills."
USA Today
29-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jared Cannonier 'can't really make any reasoning' why UFC booked him vs. Michael Page
Jared Cannonier explained why he's not happy to draw Michael Page at UFC 319. Former title challenger Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) takes on Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Page has only fought once at 185 pounds in the octagon when he handed Shara Magomedov his first-career loss at UFC Fight Night 250. Cannonier on the other hand, has fought the who's who in the division, from Israel Adesanya, to Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland. "The issue is that I have with the fight is that he's not really a middleweight," Cannonier told Submission Radio. "I'm focused on getting back to the title. I understand it's a big fight, it's on a big card. So, there is some weight there." Ex-UFC fighter Joe Riggs claimed that Cannonier wasn't too excited when offered Page, and how he heard Dana White had Cannonier on the "chopping block." Cannonier addressed Riggs' comments. "That's the rumor you guys have heard so, I'm going to leave it at that, a rumor that y'all heard," Cannonier said. Cannonier was asked if the matchup has grown on him over time, and his answer was no. "It's business as usual," Cannonier said. "It's all about the next fight, to be honest. It's not that. He may be unranked, but I don't know. I can't really make any reasoning behind the matchmaking. It's still an exciting fight. I've watched 'MVP' for a long time. He's a world-renowned fighter, and we all know who he is. We all love to watch him fight. So, it's still a big fight and with any fight, a dominant finish will get me back on track of where I want to go."
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Bisping suggests rematch for UFC Fight Night 251 winner Jared Cannonier next
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.
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gregory Rodrigues issues statement blaming weight cut for UFC Fight Night 251 loss
Gregory Rodrigues believes his weight cut played a factor in his UFC Fight Night 251 loss. This past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Rodrigues (16-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was finished by Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) in Round 4 of their main event. Rodrigues dropped Cannonier twice in Round 1, but appeared to fatigue as the rounds went on. Rodrigues revealed that the cut down to 185 pounds hampered his performance. 'It's my birthday today, and even though it was a tough day at work, I'm grateful for everything God has done and continues to do in my life,' Rodrigues said in a statement on Instagram. 'Big thanks to the @ufc team for the opportunity. I'm truly honored to have shared the octagon with the No. 7 in the division. Cannonier is a highly experienced fighter who taught me a lot in this fight! I saw several details that can be improved, things that will be changed. Winning Fight of the Night was a gift for two warriors who weren't afraid to go to battle. 'Most people don't know this, but I had serious issues on my recovery after weight cut. My body just wasn't responding. I keep wondering how things would've played out if I had been at 100 percent. But no sad stories here. Robocop never dies! Time to recharge, reset the system, and upgrade, because I'm just getting started! Huge thanks for all the love, to my friends and family who always stand by my side, and to my real fans, you guys outshine the haters every time! Much love to my coaches at @killcliff_fc, my strength team @ihpfit, and my doctors & nutritionist @marceloferronutricao! Thank you all.' Rodrigues saw his three-fight winning streak snapped in what was his first-career five-round bout against former title challenger Cannonier. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.
The Independent
17-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
UFC veteran Jared Cannonier refuses ‘gatekeeper' tag after emphatic TKO against Gregory Rodrigues
Jared Cannonier has said he refuses to be a gatekeeper in the UFC, having seen off 33-year-old Gregory Rodrigues at the age of 40 on Saturday. Cannonier is one of two UFC fighters, alongside Conor McGregor, to hold knockout wins at three weights. His fourth-round TKO of Rodrigues was his latest stoppage at middleweight, where he challenged for the title in 2022. And Cannonier, despite his advanced age as far as sport goes, believes he can vie for gold again. 'I would like somebody ranked higher than me,' said the American, No 7 in the division, at a post-fight press conference. 'Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher than me are either in line to get a title shot, are gonna wait for a title shot, or [they] just beat me. 'Four people in the rankings ahead of me have beaten me. Dricus [Du Plessis] and Khamzat [Chimaev] are the only ones I haven't fought. As long as I keep winning, [I've got rematches ahead of me]. But I'm not gonna rule anything out. Shoot, if they say, 'Hey, Jared, we need you to fight Dricus next for the belt,' I'm like: 'Hell, yes, I'm ready.' 'I don't think anybody's put that [gatekeeper] tag on me, it was just when I was doing all these interviews, the way I was answering all these questions... it sounded as if I was a gatekeeper. You guys kept saying: 'You're fighting this up-and-comer,' 'You're fighting a second up-and-comer,' 'You're fighting another up-and-comer.' Doesn't that sound like, 'Hey, you're a gatekeeper'? 'That's not how I see myself, though. That's never how I'm gonna see myself, that's never what I'm going to be. I'm not a gatekeeper, I am – I don't know – a fighter. I couldn't come up with anything clever, so!' Cannonier was dropped twice by Rodrigues in round one, before fighting back to almost finish the Brazilian in round three. 'I didn't hear the bell ring at the end of that round,' Cannonier revealed in the cage after the bout, 'so I thought I'd finished the fight. I got up and was looking around like, 'How come nobody's as excited as I am?' Then they reaffirmed that it was just the end of the round.' Cannonier would ultimately seal the win in round four, dropping Rodrigues with a barrage of strikes against the fence. 'My corner continued to deliver the message of how they saw it on the outside,' Cannonier said. 'I had him against the ropes, he was hurt, he was slowing down, I was able to finish. My energy... I felt great, I could do this for five more rounds if we needed to – without getting hit, of course! 'I guess I was hurt enough [in round one] to get dropped on my ass a couple times, but naturally so: Gregory hits hard as hell, and he was slinging big f***ing shots. I was able to weather the storm and keep my composure even in those really tough spots, and work my way back up to my feet. I'd rather die on my feet than die on my back.'
