UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier, like all other challengers before Alex Pereira, could not get past Israel Adesanya. Of course, Adesanya lost his 185-pound title to Pereira via a last-round knockout at UFC 281, a result that Cannonier feels is good for the division after being ruled by Adesanya for so long. He discussed his take on the middleweight landscape in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour.
“I wouldn’t say I was shocked. That’s how fights go. That’s how some fights can go. You can be winning one minute, next thing you know you’re trying not to get hit with some of the biggest shots coming your way. That’s how it goes. It’s unfortunate how it went down for Israel [Adesanya], but that’s the fight game, man.
Cannonier: Alex Pereira “Good For the Rest of Us”
I wouldn’t say it was a good thing for me. I wouldn’t say I was happy or anything like that. I didn’t have an emotional reaction to it. It was more of a logical thing,” Cannonier said. “And the way I think of it is, it brings more interest to the division, as opposed to bringing more interest to Israel himself.
So it is good for the rest of us. We all get more of a chance of fighting for the title, as opposed to trying to make our way back up to a rematch, which I feel is harder to do in this sport. But no, I wasn’t happy that Israel lost. I wasn’t like clutching my crystals hoping Israel loses this fight or anything like that. So no, I’ve never wished ill will on anybody.”
Cannonier also pointed out one of the most enduring truisms of mixed martial arts. No matter how tough a fighter seems, anything can and will happen in this sport. Among the UFC’s elite, anyone is good enough to capture a belt.
“I think anybody can win a fight. Anybody who trains, especially anybody at this level, at the highest level of sport, anybody can win. I mean, look at the fight — Israel was on his way to winning. He even rocked him at the end of that first round. If he had maybe 15 or 20 more seconds, he probably could’ve finished that in the first round.
So I’m not going to say that this person is going to win or that person’s going to win. Nobody has nobody’s number in this game, I would say. That’s what I believe, that’s what I tell myself, and that’s why I believe I can beat anybody in this sport.”
Is Jared Cannonier right about the middleweight landscape? Let us know in the comments.
