UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier believes he will be the definitive #1 contender at 185-pounds with a win over Derek Brunson at UFC 271 this Saturday night.
Cannonier spoke with reporters during the media day for UFC 271 and doesn't think there is anyone else in the current landscape of the promotion's middleweight division that would be more deserving of the next title shot than him, especially if the 37-year old Dallas, Texas native is victorious over Brunson.
“I mean yeah (I expect a title shot),” Cannonier said (h/t MMA Junkie). “Who else is there? There’s nobody else. There’s no other clear contender at this time. So No. 3 vs. No. 4 (in the UFC rankings)? Yeah. That’s the one.”
UFC President Dana White, however, seemed noncommittal to the idea of giving the winner of the Brunson-Cannonier matchup the next title shot at 185-pounds and said the following about how he views the middleweight title picture currently.
"Well you just said he's (Israel Adesanya) looking at some rematches coming up, just like Usman is in his division," White said to reporters during the UFC 271 pre-fight press conference. "We don't know yet. I don't know yet. Obviously, it's a very important fight in the weight class. We'll see how it plays out."
Dana White is noncommittal about the Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson winner getting the next title shot. --#UFC271 Full video: https://t.co/ArYOi51nJ6 pic.twitter.com/22S1INncfw
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) February 11, 2022
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