When Jared Cannonier accepted a main card slot for UFC 319 against Michael Page, he did so with the slightest bit of confusion, and for good reason.
Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) snapped a two-fight losing skid against Gregory Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas earlier this year. While the win was much needed, Cannonier thought he’d be awarded another deserving middleweight title contender.
Despite the respect Cannonier has for Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), he told Submission Radio the former Bellator standout doesn’t have the credentials he does, nor the same competition level as the who ‘s-who list at middleweight across the last several years.
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Jared Cannonier is examined by officials before the start of his middleweight main bout against Nassourdine Imavov at the UFC Fight Night mixed martial arts event Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. / Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
“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.”
It may not be the ideal scenario Cannonier had hoped for, but he said he looks forward to the challenge ahead.
“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.”
Jul 2, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Jared Cannonier (blue gloves) fight in a bout during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Cannonier says at the end of the day, notching an impressive win is all that matters most to him.
“I’m focused on getting back to the title,” Cannonier said. “I understand it’s a big fight, it’s on a big card. So, there is some weight there.”
Cannonier-Page serves as one of the pay-per-view’s most noteworthy bouts, which is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and challenger Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) Aug. 16 from the United Center in Chicago.
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