Athletes
Jared Cannonier Is Refreshed And More Ferocious Than Ever
A Rejuvenated Jared Cannonier Is Eager To Put His Best Foot Forward At UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland
When in doubt and in need of some rest and relaxation, go to Hawaii.
You see, Jared Cannonier wanted to get back into a fight as soon as possible following the disappointment of his title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276. “Tha Killa Gorilla” never really got going against the champion, so a quick turnaround was idea. Coincidentally, the only willing and able opponent, according to Cannonier, was Sean Strickland, who competed and lost to eventual champion Alex Pereira on the same card.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland
The pair agreed to fight in October, but when an infection forced Strickland to delay the matchup, Cannonier headed to Maui with his wife and kids, and that time away paid dividends when he returned to his adopted home state of Arizona.
“When I got back, I felt refreshed,” he told UFC.com. “I felt more motivated (and) inspired to get in there and start getting better. It showed in my performances in training. I felt sharper. My technique felt cleaner. Just continually building on all the things I've been building on throughout my whole career. Everything from the (Derek) Brunson fight, we built into the Adesanya fight. Everything from that fight, from that camp, is going to roll into this fight. We've been building a lot. A lot of building going on in the last five years at the MMA Lab. It’s definitely going to be real good to let it all go and let it out and show the world what we've been doing.”
Jared Cannonier Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Jared Cannonier Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland
/
In terms of how that building will translate into his fight with Strickland, Cannonier said he wanted to create a “car crash.” Knowing the way Strickland likes to move forward, Cannonier knows his wrestling and grappling abilities will come into play. He also took note of Pereira’s knockout of Strickland, and semi-jokingly brought up potentially working in some left hooks of his own when the fight is taking place on the feet.
Since making his middleweight debut in November 2018, Cannonier is 5-2 (with four knockouts), his only losses coming to former champions Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. Although some would see Cannonier’s age (38) as a sign that he is nearing the twilight of his career, he feels otherwise. If anything, he feels like the best is yet to come.
Dana White's 12 Days of Giveaways Is Underway!
“If I was fighting the me that fought Israel, I would whoop my ass right now,” he said. “I feel like a much better, different fighter, different animal. It is going to be a different approach, a different Killa Gorilla.”
Like every other middleweight contender, Pereira’s comeback victory over Adesanya rejuvenated his own title hopes. Despite a likely rematch between the longtime rivals, Cannonier said the Brazilian’s victory puts the spotlight more on the division as a whole rather than just on Adesanya’s individual accomplishments.
The changing of the guard makes the stakes of the December 17 main event all the more important. Should Pereira retain the title, every 185er is well-advised to position themselves accordingly in the title picture.
Fighting Strickland comes with its own scenery, of course. The free-talking, free-spirited 31-year-old ascended the middleweight rankings quickly after returning to the weight class in 2020, and some would argue he stole the show at the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference. All that said, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but Cannonier is more or less indifferent about it all.
“He seems genuine,” Cannonier said. “It is not like putting on a character or anything when the UFC cameras come about. So I think what you'll see on the camera is that Sean Strickland in real life. Being genuine is admirable in my book whether people like you or not, as long as you're genuine. If you're going to be a bad guy, I want you to be a genuine bad guy. Let me know you're a bad guy, so I know how to act around you.”
The respect is mutual between the UFC’s final headliners of 2022. Strickland described Cannonier as someone who is good technically, as well as dangerous.
Cannonier’s 10 professional knockouts speak to that truth, and he anticipates bringing all of that power into the Octagon with him on December 17.
“F*** yeah, he's definitely right about that,” Cannonier said. “I do hit hard, and I'm hitting harder. I'm hitting faster than ever now, more ferocious. And by that, I mean I'll be implementing more grappling. So more of the gorilla, primal thing is coming out of me when I'm grappling. Striking is off and on. The grappling is - you got to be on for grappling. It’s a different kind of on.
“If I can toss him to the ground, jump on top of him and finish him off like a Killa Gorilla would, that's what I'm going to do. All he can do is try to fight me off.”
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on December 17, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
Tags
