Jared Cannonier is ready to pack his bags and head for the land down under if it means another opportunity to become the UFC middleweight champion.
‘Killa Gorilla’ is gearing up for a high-stakes 185-pound clash with fellow-top contender Marvin Vettori at a Fight Night event on June 17. With major title implications on the line, Jared Cannonier is confident that a win over ‘The Italian Dream’ will earn him a rematch with reigning middleweight king Israel Adesanya. In an interview with MiddleEasy, Cannonier confirmed that his passport is up to date and he will be more than ready to hop a plane to Sydney should the opportunity present itself.
“Oh, I’m getting ready. I’ll definitely be ready to fight in Sydney, my passport is up to date, my bags will be packed,” Cannonier said. “The way I plan on performing (against Vettori), yeah, I’m definitely gonna be ready to step in and make it happen. But who knows. There’s talks of him going up to light heavyweight.
The UFC will head back to Australia on September 10 for UFC 293, seven months removed from the promotion’s last appearance in the country which delivered an instant classic between reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski.
Israel Adesanya Could Leave Jared Cannonier and Other Potential Contenders Waiting in Line for Quite a While
Currently, Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis are tipped for a title eliminator at UFC 290 on July 8 with the winner securing their opportunity at the 185-pound crown. Where that leaves Jared Cannonier remains to be seen, particularly if he wins on June 17. However, it’s altogether possible that all three men could be left out in the cold for the time being as ‘The Last Stylebender’ circles a potential clash with reigning light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out… Either he goes up to light heavyweight and fights Jamahal out there or they have no choice but to put me in there,” Cannonier continued. “I’m definitely calling for it after I put Marvin’s lights out.”
Jared Cannonier has already had one crack at dethroning Israel Adesanya, meeting the ‘Stylebender’ at UFC 276. ‘Killa Gorilla’ came up short, surrendering a unanimous decision victory to the two-time champ. He has since bounced back, earning a split decision win over controversial contender Sean Strickland. If he can make it back-to-back wins with a decisive victory over Marvin Vettori, Cannonier will be undeniably back in the middleweight title picture.
