Jared Cannonier isn’t exactly gung-ho about being booked to fight Michael Page at UFC 319.
Cannonier has never been shy to express his dismay over potential matchups that he feels don’t favor his interests. “The Killa Gorilla” has been criticized in the past for dismissing a fight with Khamzat Chimaev, who will be challenging Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship, unless certain demands were met. He’s under the microscope again for taking exception to his planned bout with “MVP” despite going 1-2 in his last three outings.
Still, the No. 8-ranked UFC middleweight told Submission Radio that he feels a bout with Page doesn’t make a lot of sense (h/t MMAJunkie).
“The issue is that I have with the fight is that he’s not really a middleweight,” Cannonier told Submission Radio. “I’m focused on getting back to the title. I understand it’s a big fight, it’s on a big card. So, there is some weight there.”
“It’s business as usual,” Cannonier said. “It’s all about the next fight, to be honest. It’s not that. He may be unranked, but I don’t know. I can’t really make any reasoning behind the matchmaking. It’s still an exciting fight. I’ve watched ‘MVP’ for a long time. He’s a world-renowned fighter, and we all know who he is. We all love to watch him fight. So, it’s still a big fight and with any fight, a dominant finish will get me back on track of where I want to go.”
Cannonier also addressed a claim made by former MMA veteran Joe Riggs claiming that “The Killa Gorilla” was on the UFC’s potential cut list. Cannonier said it was simply a rumor, and he didn’t want to discuss the matter further. Time will tell if the 41-year-old can thwart Page in an attempt to make a run at UFC gold one more time before inevitably riding off into the sunset.
