Don’t expect Jared Cannonier to bash the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero title fight.
At UFC 248, Adesanya put his UFC middleweight championship on the line against Romero. The title bout was held inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a largely uneventful bout that went to the judges after five rounds. Adesanya was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Cannonier Not Harsh On Adesanya vs. Romero
Despite Adesanya vs. Romero being widely panned, UFC middleweight Cannonier has a different take. Appearing on Submission Radio, “The Killa Gorilla” explained why he isn’t ragging on the efforts of Adesanya and Romero (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
“It wasn’t pleasing to the casual fan, pleasingly aesthetic to what these guys want to see,” Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) told Submission Radio. “I wasn’t sitting there booing; I was sitting there intrigued. Of course, I’m potentially one of the guys’ opponents, so I’m watching with more of a keen eye.
“I was just downloading every bit right there, and I feel like I’m a better fighter after watching those two fight. … You can say they respected each other too much or they employed a little too much caution – to the fans’ detriment, but not to mine.”
Cannonier was expected to be on the UFC 248 card. First, Cannonier was set to meet former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker. Those plans were derailed when Whittaker pulled out due to personal reasons. Cannonier was then scheduled to take on Darren Till but “The Killa Gorilla” suffered an injury and he was removed from the card.
While Cannonier has been healing, it was revealed that Whittaker and Till will likely collide at UFC Dublin this August. What Cannonier will do upon his return remains to be seen. If he ends up sharing the Octagon with Romero, Cannonier expressed his belief that he’d beat “The Soldier of God” or anybody else put in front of him.
