Former middleweight title challenger, Jared Cannonier has been touted as an ideal opponent to test the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev in his return to the Octagon, according to former divisional champion, Michael Bisping.
Cannonier, the current number four ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since extended his winning run to two straight fights back in June, turning in a decision win over fellow former title challenger, Marvin Vettori in a Fight of the Night outing.
Prior to that, the former light heavyweight landed a controversial split decision win over former undisputed middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland – with the victory returning him to the winner’s enclosure after his title siege defeat to common-foe, Israel Adesanya.
As for Chimaev, the AllStars MMA veteran co-headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year, turning in a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman – improving his unbeaten record to 13-0.
Jared Cannonier backed to fight Khamzat Chimaev
And linked with a slew of opponents for his comeback from the likes of Paulo Costa, to the above-mentioned former champions, Strickland, and Adesanya, Chimaev should be tested by the returning Cannonier next, according to Hall of Fame inductee, Bisping.
“I would like to see him (Khamzat Chimaev) against a Jared Cannonier – because if he can’t take him down, and he can’t fix that problem with the cardio, then he’s going to have a real long-term problem going forward,” Michael Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “But who knows – maybe there’s a reason why he was running out of gas, OK? Probably because he doesn’t pace himself. He goes forward straight away, (and) wrestles.”
“Jared Cannonier, in my humble opinion, is the perfect opponent [for Khamzat Chimev],” Bisping explained. “There’s others out there. There’s Sean Strickland. They had a little moment in the gym, as well. So, Sean Strickland – Khamzat Chimaev, take my money. I’d love to see that one. But Khamzat – Jared Cannonier – that would be great.”
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