Exclusive: Jared Cannonier names opponent he "was actually asking for" ahead of Gregory Rodrigues clash at UFC Vegas 102

Jared Cannonier is gearing up for a crucial middleweight clash against Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Vegas 102, scheduled for February 15, 2025. The event, which will be held at the UFC Apex, marks an opportunity for Cannonier to bounce back after a challenging 2024, where he suffered consecutive losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.

In contrast, Rodrigues has been on a roll, securing two wins in 2024, including a stoppage victory over Brad Tavares and a decision win against Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC 304.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Cannonier revealed that before the UFC booked him against Rodrigues, he had asked for a fight with Anthony Hernandez. Cannonier explained:

“Anthony Hernandez had his fight his last fight, he kind of mentioned my name. Mentioned that he would like to fight me and gave a little backstory with that as well. I thought that would have been cool especially considering he had been doing really good for the for the last couple of years."

Cannonier pointed out that Hernandez had been rising through the ranks, making it a more logical matchup in terms of rankings:

"They were already giving me guys lower rank than me. He outranks Gregory so it was a better matchup ranking wise. So that's one that I was actually asked them for.”

Check out Jared Cannonier's revelation below (0:39):

While Cannonier ultimately got Rodrigues, the former title challenger is focused on proving his worth and securing a dominant win in what is expected to be an exciting fight at UFC Vegas 102.

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Jared Cannonier weighs in on Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2 at UFC 311

Jared Cannonier shared his perspective on the highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311. Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in the aforementioned interview, Cannonier highlighted the challenges Tsarukyan may face against the reigning champion (6:21):

"I don't know, it's hard. It's a tough one. I think Islam is the bigger guy. He's a bigger grappler. I think that could weigh heavy in the later rounds for sure for a grappling-heavy style such as Arman. I think Islam is showing that he can also stand and bang and strike and be effective in that realm as well."

He added:

"So, I think it's going to be tough for Arman, but I'm sure he's up for the challenge. It's no question that he's up for the challenge, so it's going to be a good fight to watch."