Jared Cannonier adds pressure to UFC Vegas 102 fight

Jared Cannonier is not ignorant to his position going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 251 main event vs. Gregory Rodrigues.

Since unsuccessfully challenging then-champ Israel Adesanya for the title in July 2022, Cannonier is 2-2 in the octagon. He rebound from that chance at gold by beating Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori, but has since dropped back-to-back contests against Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.

The matchups with Imavov and Borralho were viewed as Cannonier testing fighters who are considered as the next crop of middleweights in the generation behind where Cannonier (17-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) came through. The 32-year-old Rodrigues (16-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) fits into a similar criteria as he brings a three-fight winning streak into his first promotional headliner, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

Cannonier is understanding of the optics of this matchup. Either he will turn back Rodrigues and prove he’s not ready for this level yet, or he will be the signature win on the Brazilian’s resume to point and send him on the trajectory toward a top-five ranking at 185 pounds.

The previous situations have not gone Cannonier’s way, but he’s determined to create a different narrative from this fight.

“When you say it’s like the last two guys, I don’t want it to be anything like the last two guys I fought,” Cannonier told MMA Junkie on Monday. “To a certain degree, you can look at it like that because he’s another one, I guess further down. I lost to the first one who was in that position when I was No. 3. Then I lost to the next one who was in that position when I was No. 4 or No. 5 or wherever I was. So it’s the same thing. Hopefully the third time’s the motherf*cking charm. Sh*t, because 2024 was not a good year for me.

“One more time. I guess we’ll give it one more shot. I do appreciate them giving me another main event. I’m aware of who Gregory Rodrigues is, and it’s a tough challenge. I’m appreciative of that, that I have another challenge to overcome. That’s what’s expected in this organization. I’m in the position that I find myself in because I didn’t win those last two fights.”

At 40, Cannonier is the oldest fighter in the top 15 of the UFC’s official middleweight rankings. He still feels youthful, but there comes a point where, no matter the level of competition, his age will be attached to a decline in results.

Cannonier has never lost three consecutive fights in his career, and he’s highly motivated to avoid being placed in that position and do so in highlight-reel fashion.

“I can feel (a knockout),” Cannonier said. “I feel like I’m going to go in there and be able to let my hands go. I want to display the speed advantage that I have, show the power that I possess to accompany that speed and my ability to go in there to compete, perform and more importantly, win at the highest level.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.