Jared Cannonier is back in the Octagon later this month at UFC Fight Night Chile, facing Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight division clash.
The former Alaska FC Light Heavyweight Champion has admitted that he is like a middleweight competing at 205 pounds, which is why a move to middleweight is happening in the near future.
“I’m not a big fan of cutting weight, I honestly think its cheating. I don’t like to cut a lot of weight to give myself the advantage. Since I’ve been here at the (MMA) Lab getting this work in…this consistent work in, the fat has been melting off. In this next fight, you guys will see a difference in my physique. You’ll definitely say that guy has to go down to middleweight and that’s the plan, after this fight, I want to go to middleweight. Especially with the summer coming up, the sun is going to keep melting the fat away. I think its gonna be an easy cut to middleweight,” says Cannonier in an exclusive interview with Fightful’s James Lynch.
If Cannonier does make the move to middleweight, it would be the first time the fighter has fought outside of light heavyweight as a professional MMA competitor.
Cannoniers light heavyweight division swan song could be happening in just a few weeks and he has a plan for how the bout will conclude.
“I’m gonna knock this guy out man, I’m gonna put my hands on him. Usually I don’t like to say ‘I’m gonna do this or I’m gonna do this,’ but I’m gonna knock him out. Especially if he doesn’t move backwards the way everybody does, they stay away and they don’t want to get hit. But its the fight game, make your peace with the fact that your gonna get hit and when you fight me…your gonna get hit hard. I don’t know if you can prepare yourself for that, if he wants to fight…he’s gonna get knocked out. If he’s gonna keep away from me, hopefully we don’t have another situation like Jan Blachowicz. Where they hold you down the whole damn time and you win by points, but its the game…if you can win that way, win that way. I’m here to fight man, I’m not here to win on the cards or win fans or win favor with anybody. I’m a fighter, I’m here to fight and that’s what I’m gonna do…lets do it,” says Cannonier.
UFC Fight Night Chile takes place on Saturday, May 19 from the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile with Damien Maia and Kamaru Usman headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox Sports 1.
