Jared Cannonier may be 40 years old but don’t expect him to start opening the door for middleweight prospects looking to use him as a stepping stone in their own careers.
Following a disappointing campaign in 2024 that ended with two consecutive losses, Cannonier had a lot riding on his fight against Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Vegas 102. After surviving an early storm, Cannonier proved himself again after he bludgeoned Rodrigues with punches to score a fourth-round stoppage and put himself right back in the thick of the top 10 in the middleweight division.
While he never blinked when the UFC came calling with an unranked opponent, Cannonier refused to believe he was being viewed as the last roadblock for somebody like Rodrigues to steal his spot in the division.
“I don’t think anybody’s put that tag on me,” Cannonier said about being a gatekeeper during the UFC Vegas 102 post-fight press conference. “It’s just when I was doing all these interviews, the way I was answering the questions it sounded as if I was a gatekeeper. Because 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’?
“I was just illustrating it sounds like I’m a gatekeeper. That’s not how I see myself though. That’s never how I’m going to see myself. That’s never what I’m going to be. I’m not a gatekeeper.”
For all the ways Cannonier has far fewer years ahead of him in the UFC than what’s already behind, he still believes he’s at his peak condition with an opportunity to make a run at the top of the division again.
That’s why Cannonier would ideally like to get a ranked opponent for his next fight, although admittedly those choices are a few and far between right now. The names on the list of fighters Cannonier has already fought includes Nassourdine Imavov, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Caio Borralho.
“[Five] people in the rankings ahead of me have beaten me,” Cannonier said. “I’m ranked No. 7 so that means [two] people who I haven’t fought or haven’t beat. Two people who I haven’t fought [are] Dricus and Khamzat [Chimaev] and five people I’ve fought.”
It says a lot about Cannonier’s longevity that he’s actually gone to battle with five out of the seven fighters ahead of him in the UFC’s rankings but that also limits his options.
Still, Cannonier is staying ready for whatever gets thrown at him because whether it’s a rematch with a past opponent or just getting the call to fight for the title, he’s staying ready for anything.
“If you were to look at the rankings, I would like a ranked opponent for sure,” Cannonier said. “I think I’m definitely going to get a ranked opponent after that victory. I would like somebody ranked higher than me. Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher than me are either in line to get a title shot or [they] are going to wait for a title shot or just beat me. But I’m not going rule anything out. If they say ‘hey Jared, we need you to fight Dricus [du Plessis] next for the belt.’ I’m like hell yes, I’m ready.
“Absolutely with that being said, as long as I keep winning [I’m ready for those rematches].”
