"If he's Dr. Strange, I'm Baron Mordo" - Jared Cannonier confident he can give Israel Adesanya a run for his money at UFC 276

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Jared Cannonier compares himself and Israel Adesanya to Dr. Strange and Baron Mordo [Photo credit: @marvel on Twitter, marvel.com]

Jared Cannonier knows exactly how good Israel Adesanya is, but he likes his chances against the UFC middleweight champion just the same.

The 185-pound division's number one contender was all praise when asked about his upcoming opponent during an interview with Yahoo! Sports. Cannonier specifically mentioned Adesanya's use of range and movement as his strong points and used a playful Marvel Cinematic Universe reference to break it all down:

"I've learned over time, and this is a thing I naturally came up by myself, that footwork controls time and space as far as combat sports goes. So, dude is like Dr. Strange out there with his footwork. But, you know, if he's Dr. Strange, I'm Baron Mordo."

Catch Jared Cannonier's interview below:

Cannonier's reference alludes to the Marvel comic book character, Baron Mordo – the archnemesis of Dr. Strange. In the cinematic universe, the character (portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor) was last spotted in the post-credits scene of 2016's Dr. Strange. With that in mind, hardcore Marvel fans expect the character to return as a major villain in a future film.

'The Killa Gorilla' also compared Adesanya to former longtime light heavyweight ruler Jon Jones. According to Cannonier, both men are masterful when it comes to utilizing length and range.

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Jared Cannonier's "secret weapon" against Israel Adesanya

Jared Cannonier revealed that he has a "secret weapon" he can rely on when he meets Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title this Saturday.

The title challenger, of course, proved to have one-punch knockout power during his most recent clash against Derek Brunson. However, Cannonier revealed that his punching power isn't what he has up his sleeve.

For Cannonier, having faced four former UFC champions is an experience that will help him against Adesanya. During an interview with Kevin Iole, the veteran fighter said:

"It’s definitely a nudge for your ego when you realize, 'Hey, I’ve only lost to champions and former champions and, you know, title challengers,' and stuff like that."

Over the course of his career, Cannonier has faced the likes of Anderson Silva, Jan Blachowicz, Robert Whittaker, and Glover Teixeira. Come Saturday, though, he will have the opportunity to write become a champion himself by pulling off an upset against Adesanya.

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