Jared Cannonier reveals big injury caused early in fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 254

Jared Cannonier failed to secure a #1 contender's spot against Israel Adesanya after suffering a defeat to Robert Whittaker at UFC 254. Unfortunately for Jared Cannonier, the momentum he had in his last three fights couldn't carry over, and Robert Whittaker thoroughly dominated him to a unanimous decision defeat.

In a post on Instagram, Jared Cannonier revealed that he had broken his arm with the first kick that Robert Whittaker threw:

View this post on Instagram

That didn’t go exactly how I wanted but My spirits remain high and I’m happy with how I fought all things considered. The very first kick he threw broke or fractured my left ulna 🦴 I couldn’t find my grove and adjust quickly to get the W so I’ll take my L with pride. @robwhittakermma certainly lived up to my expectations before and after the fight. Congrats mate. Enjoy Xmas and the new 👶🏽. It was a hell of an experience to be here. Can’t wait to go again.

A post shared by Jared Cannonier (@killagorillamma) on Oct 25, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

Jared Cannonier was supposed to face Israel Adesanya if he was able to dominate and defeat Robert Whittaker. Unfortunately for him, the opposite happened, and UFC president Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that a rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker makes sense.

As of now, there is no challenger for Israel Adesanya and the Middleweight Championship. Adesanya stated that he wouldn't be fighting in 2020 again following his emphatic victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 253.

It will be back to the drawing board for Jared Cannonier, and he will have to face a newer challenger.

What's next for Jared Cannonier?

Since Jared Cannonier has to go to the back of the line to earn a title shot, it will be interesting to see who he faces. Paulo Costa recently called out Robert Whittaker after his performance. Still, since he was defeated in an extremely one-sided fight, he could also be a few wins away from another title shot.

Jared Cannonier vs. Paulo Costa makes a lot of sense. Both men are coming off defeats and belong to the top five of the UFC Middleweight division. It would also make for an exciting stylistic match-up.

While Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker might be ready in early 2020, Jared Cannonier could take a while longer to return.