UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier explains why he’s taking the “wait and see” approach following recent fight offer

By Susan Cox - September 20, 2023

UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier is explaining why he’s taking the ‘wait and see’ approach following his recent fight offer.

Jared Cannonier, UFC 254

It was during a recent interview with ‘Sportskeeda MMA‘, that Cannonier revealed the UFC was quick to offer him a non-title fight after UFC 293, implying that such a matchup would see him fight down the pecking order:

“Last week, they offered me somebody. My manager called me, relayed the message. I’m not gonna sit on a name for weeks. But this is special circumstances, you know? I’m in a different position right now. I’m not gonna jump on the first fight they hand me, jump on the first bone they throw in the yard, get distracted by the big-ass slab of meat that’s hanging up.”

Currently ranked at #4, Jared Cannonier is hesitant to commit to any fight until he knows for a fact that a title fight is not in the cards.

Continuing ‘The Killa Gorilla’ said:

“I’m ranked at the top of the division. There’s a good reason why nobody’s saying my name. There’s people at the back of the pack who want to climb and claw their way to the top… they don’t know what they’re in for. I ain’t trying to look back at them… If they schedule the title fight tomorrow, then I ain’t gonna be like, ‘I gotta wait until the title fight.’ … But if the title fight ain’t scheduled, I ain’t gonna schedule myself up, tie myself up, and miss this opportunity. If you ain’t gonna tell me what’s up, If I gotta wait and see…”

While Cannonier didn’t reveal which opponent he was offered to fight, he maintains the ‘wait and see’ approach is where his focus is right now.

The 39-year-old has had victory in his last two fights, against Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) in December of 2022 and Marvin Vettori (19-7 MMA) this past June.

Of course, Sean Strickland is the newly crowned middleweight champion after his impressive victory over Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA) earlier this month at UFC 293.

Do you believe Jared Cannonier should be offered a shot at the title?

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Jared Cannonier UFC