Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his 185-pound title against hulking division power puncher Jared Cannonier in the upcoming UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Just don’t expect “The Killa Gorilla” to spend much time taking in the sights and sounds of “Sin City.”
The No. 2-ranked middleweight is there for business, not pleasure.
“It’s good to be back,” Cannonier said on Ep. 3 of UFC 276 Embedded. “I don’t necessarily like coming here to visit, but I do enjoy coming here to do my job. It’s a business trip for me. It is enjoyable — but I’m not on vacation.”
For Episodes 1 & 2 of UFC 276 Embedded click here and here.
Cannonier (15-5) is 5-1 since dropping down to middleweight and is coming off back-to-back victories over Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson. More importantly, the 38 year-old “Killa Gorilla” has double-digit knockouts and could be Adesanya’s most dangerous opponent to date.
We’ll find out in just a few days.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 276 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ABC/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
For the rest of the UFC 276 fight card and PPV lineup click here. To check out the latest and greatest UFC 276: “Adesanya vs. Cannonier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.