When it comes to the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title picture, Jared Cannonier thinks that any hopes Derek Brunson has of a championship opportunity soon run through him.
In the main event of UFC Vegas 36 this past weekend, fourth-ranked Brunson (23-7) staked his claim for a future title fight against champion Israel Adesanya when he submitted Darren Till in the third round of the pair’s fight. Following his win, the 37-year-old proclaimed that he would now wait for the winner of a likely championship scrap between Adesanya and former titleholder Robert Whittaker. However, third-ranked Cannonier (14-5) doesn’t understand that.
For one, the Alaska native just isn’t the top to wait around for big fights. He is in the sport to compete, more so than banking big bucks and setting lofty career goals. Yet, while he understands Brunson’s perspective, Cannonier feels the North Carolina native still has not done enough to be next in line for a title shot. And if he truly wanted to do so, he would face him next or be stuck in the contender line behind him.
Jared Cannonier believes Derrek Brunson’s title hopes stop at him
“I understand his willingness to wait. I don’t know how I feel about that comparison being made of being broke and not broke, and willing to do things and not willing to do things. I’ve said this in the past. I don’t fight to make money. I just so happen to make good money from my fighting. I fight because I love to do this. … I’m not gonna wait for the title because I need to fight. I need to get my hands on somebody. It’s not the money. I need that competition that’s gonna make me better. And if these guys want to stand around and wait to fight and get their ass whooped by Izzy; I find it hard to understand,” Cannonier said in a guest appearance on Submission Radio.
“All these guys are worried, thinking about their careers and stuff. Like I said, the more you hang on to something the easier it is to lose it. I understand his stance. He’s been doing this for a long time. He hasn’t had his title shot. He was close to his title shot, then he ran into Izzy. I don’t think he’s in a position to wait for a title shot, to be honest. He’s #5, he beat #7. I don’t think that does much. I think it solidifies your position right there in contendership. I don’t think that makes you the #1 contender. If he wants to be certified officially [as] the #1 contender he’d fight me. And then he can sit around and wait, and be guaranteed the title shot. If I wait, and he waits, I’m getting the title shot first.”
Cannonier was also victories in a UFC headliner recently. At UFC Vegas 34, he defeated top-10 185-pounder Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision. The 37-year-old is currently ranked at three in the promotion’s middleweight rankings and is 4-1 in the division.
Do you agree with “The Killa Gorilla’s” belief that Brunson is stuck in the contender line behind him?