Jared Cannonier acknowledges ‘gatekeeper’ position

LAS VEGAS – Jared Cannonier doesn’t feel like he’s the UFC’s middleweight gatekeeper but understands why it may appear as such.

In 2022, Cannonier (17-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) came up short in a title shot against then-champion Israel Adesanya. He has since gone 2-2, with both losses coming back-to-back in 2024.

In the UFC Fight Night 251 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex, “The Killa Gorilla” aims to rebound against Gregory Rodrigues, a rising contender on a three-fight winning streak. On paper, it’s a big step up in competition for Rodrigues (16-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC).

“I think he’s pretty much earned what he’s done,” Cannonier told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I guess you can consider me the sacrificial lamb in that regard, right? This is the name of the game: we fight each other. I try to separate the emotional aspect from what we’re doing here.

“This is a business. We’re doing business. So that’s just it. Plus, my last two fights were of the same essence, if you will. … Same situation again.”

Cannonier is currently promotionally ranked No. 7 in the middleweight division, whereas Rodrigues is unranked. Although he’s hesitant to put the dreaded gatekeeper label on himself, Cannonier gets why it looks that way.

Cannonier held the No. 5 spot when he fought No. 12-ranked Caio Borralho, the widest gap in rankings for a matchup since his title shot. Even though it was Fight of the Night, Cannonier walked away with a second straight loss, which followed a fourth-round finish by Nassourdine Imavov.

Now, Cannonier gets an opponent on the outside looking in, someone who is hungry to make a statement against a top 10 fighter. When asked if the division is currently set up to allow challengers to rise the rankings quickly, Cannonier said it depends on the fighters holding those lower numbers next to their name.

“I don’t know, that onus will be put on the guys who are facing off against the contenders, i.e. myself,” Cannonier said. “I’m losing these fights against the up and comers and opening the door for them. I don’t want to say it, but it’s not that I’ve found myself in a gatekeeper sort of position, but it kind of smells like it if you’re on the outside, know what I mean?

“I’m just analyzing it for you. You’re asking the question; I’m doing some analysis on it. This isn’t how I feel. I don’t really consider all this sh*t when I’m thinking about what I’m doing on a daily basis or when I’m matching up with these guys. I’m just getting prepared to go to war with another big up and comer.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.