LAS VEGAS – Jared Cannonier thinks the judges got it right in his split decision win over Sean Strickland on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 216, and now he’s ready to take the next step up the ladder in the middleweight division.
Cannonier (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) edged Strickland (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) on the scorecards in a close-action headlining bout at the UFC Apex, helping him rebound from a title-fight loss to then-champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in July. Although it wasn’t the most thrilling fight, Cannonier got his hand raised and returned to the winner’s circle.
The victory came by the skin of his teeth, however, with the three judges failing to unanimously score a single round for either fighter. It was a nail-biter as the decision was being read, but Cannonier said he was convinced he had it the whole way.
“I definitely thought I won at least three of the five rounds,” Cannonier told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 216 post-fight news conference. “I felt confident that I won three out of five rounds, and on top of that I felt confident that I won the fight in general.”
Although judging has been a hot topic in the sport of late, the competitive nature of the 25-minute affair made it a legitimate difficult fight to assess. Cannonier admits it wasn’t easy in there, either, and he had to be very patient fighting Strickland’s style.
“He’s good at what he does,” Cannonier said. “He’s really good at moving forward, putting that jab out there, and then getting out of the way. If I gave him the look like, ‘Here I come.’ He was already aware, primed and getting ready his check hook or whatever combination he was going to throw, or just move away altogether.”
Despite the high-profile main event win, it’s not exactly clear where Cannonier goes next at 185 pounds. It’s expected that Alex Pereira will rematch Adesanya for the belt next, then there are notable matchups of Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze teed up for the first quarter of 2023.
Cannonier said there’s no specific opponent who makes sense for him right now, but he’s firm in believing he should be in the octagon fighting for a title in no more than two fights from now.
“If not a title shot, hopefully, the contenders match. That’s what I would hope for,” Cannonier said. “Either or a title shot at the beginning of 2023, or the fight that gives me the title shot in the middle or late 2023.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
