"Just be a punching bag for Israel" - Former title challenger gives honest opinion on Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland
Jared Cannonier is not on board with Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title against Sean Strickland next. The former middleweight title challenger recently weighed in on a potential Adesanya vs. Strickland title fight and explained why he should've been the one fighting 'The Last Stylebender' next.
Dricus Du Plessis defeated Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 to cement his spot as Adesanya's next challenger. However, the South African reportedly pulled out of their bout at UFC 293 in September due to a foot injury and was subsequently replaced by Strickland.
It’s not quite official but pretty close at at this point that Dricus Du Plessis will not be able to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney. He was banged up going into the Robert Whittaker fight, and that turnaround is just too soon, I’m told.
If that ends up… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Given that Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland have previously expressed interest in fighting each other, the matchup made sense to the UFC's matchmakers. However, Jared Cannonier begs to differ.
In a recent interview with 'The Schmo,' Cannonier was asked to weigh in on the rumored matchup. Dismissing 'Tarzan's chances, he replied:
"The way the rankings stack up, the way my last fights have gone, the way his last fights have gone, it doesn't make sense. I feel that I'm definitely ahead of Sean Strickland in the lineup for who gets a title shot next."
Explaining why he should've gotten the next title shot, Cannonier continued:
"He [Adesanya] didn't beat me handily. I think that would make for a more competitive fight... It's gonna make for a better fight, or he can try to fight a guy who's gonna poke at him with his jabs and sit back at long range or rush in and just be a punching bag for Israel."
Catch Cannonier's comments here (2:15):
Jared Cannonier on Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis
In the same interview, Jared Cannonier also weighed on Dricus Du Plessis being the No.1 contender for the middleweight title.
'The Killa Gorilla' claimed that while he understands why Du Plessis got a title shot against Israel Adesanya after beating Robert Whittaker, he doesn't see 'Stillknocks' as the No.1 contender in the division.
Citing the competition among the 185-pounders, 'The Killa Gorilla' reiterated why he should be in pole position to fight 'The Last Stylebender' and said:
"He's up there. He beat Robert Whittaker... I won't say he's not the No.1 contender, I would definitely say he's a contender... With what he did against Whittaker, I can't take it away from him. But as far as competition goes, I'm up there."
Jared Cannonier previously fought Israel Adesanya at UFC 276. The Nigerian-born Kiwi beat Cannonier via unanimous decision after a hard back-and-forth battle. Cannonier is currently riding a two-fight win streak and looking to make another run at the title.
Jared Cannonier offers his services as the backup for the Israel Adesanya vs. TBD title fight at UFC 293 in Sydney.
Full interview: tinyurl.com/JaredTitle pic.twitter.com/kDI2LRR6y8