Fresh off his win over Anderson Silva at UFC 237 (see it), Jared Cannonier is itching to get back into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon. The only problem is Middleweights aren’t too eager to see him standing across from them.
During a recent interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Cannonier says he has had trouble locking down his next fight, going as far as to say four people were offered to headline the upcoming UFC on ESPN 4 event in San Antonio next month against him, and they all turned it down.
“We are all fighters, we all have a job to do. Picking and choosing fights is one thing I have never done. I will fight whoever comes along. I understand people have to consider their career if they want to get to a title shot and all that stuff, but in this division if you want to get to a title shot, you are going to have to meet me eventually,” said Jared.
“The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be. So you better come see me now or wait until it’s going to be damn near impossible to beat me.”
Staying true to his respectful character, Cannonier opted to not reveal names of the men who turned down the chance to headline the event, which will now be spearheaded by Leon Edwards vs Rafael dos Anjos.
Still, “The Killa Gorilla” just wants someone to step up to face him so he can pay his bills.
“I’m not here to say that anyone is scared or anything like that. I am not going to do that and it is not my place to do that. But I will say that I would like for somebody to step up so I can get paid and pay my bills. This is an issue I had when I was a Heavyweight in Alaska, because there aren’t a lot of Heavyweight in Alaska,” he added.
“But now I am a Middleweight in the UFC, so there should be somebody to step up and fight.”
One name Jared will mention is former title contender Kelvin Gastelum, saying he’d love nothing more than to welcome him back into the cage following his loss to Israel Adesanya.
“I heard a little birdie says that one Kelvin Gastelum is looking to fight at the end or middle of September in Mexico City. So that would be a good fight and put me closer to a title shot.”
What say you, does a convincing win over Gastelum — who does have other suitors — get Cannonier the next title shot at 185 pounds?