UFC Vegas 102 held some of the most thrilling fights over the weekend as UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier went up against Gregory Rodrigues in the main event bout.
This showdown took place the week after Dricus Du Plessis defended his belt against Sean Strickland but it seems the champ might have another defense coming up soon as Cannonier has his sight set on UFC gold. The fighter was looking to recover from his consecutive losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho and he did an impressive job after putting on a spirited display round after round. His opponent, on the other was looking forward to extending his winning streak, but his efforts were thwarted.
The bout began with both fighters feeling each other out before Rodrigues took the lead. “Robocop” kept the pressure up with deadly strikes abd calf kicks that had Cannonier destabilized for a while. Rodrigues landed another heavy right that dropped his opponent. Cannonier recovered quickly and was soon back on his feet, but Rodrigues offered no reprieve. The two are soon in a clinch with Rodrigues going in with knee strikes. He misses and the two are down on the canvas, but Cannonier follows him down. They get back up and separate, but Rodrigues is soon after him again with a takedown, but Cannonier recovered quickly. The two continue their tussle, but Cannonier soon got the upper hand and takes Rodrigues down before the round came to an end.
Rodrigues’s energy in round one began to dwindle in the following rounds and Cannonier took advantage of this weakness. He followed his opponent with savage strikes and body shits that rocked Rodrigues. But Rodrigues was not down yet as he landed a big right, but his opponent kept on coming. The two fighters began to slow down in the following rounds and tried to take down the other with well-timed punches. Cannonier began to gain his steps in the following round. He landed savage shots that pushed “Robocop,” but his opponent refused to back down and kept swinging. Cannonier soon found his footing and came through with a barrage of blows and shots that left Rodrigues in a dangerous position. Cannonier soon had his opponent against the fence and landed a body shot that dropped Rodrigues in the fourth round leading to a TKO win for Cannonier.
The win came as a much-needed reprieve for Cannonier as many were starting to see the fighter as an opening door for middleweight prospect, but the fighter debunked these rumors and says he’s still at peak condition.
“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.”
After his big win, the fighter is ready to face a ranked opponent in his next fight, but the list might not be as long as Cannonier would expect as he has faced some of the top fighters in the division like Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Cai Borralho, Nassourdine Imavov, and Robert Whittaker. Despite the lack of worthy opponents, the fighter is ready to face any opponent put before him.
“[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.”
“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].”
