How did Jared Cannonier lose weight? Incredible body transformation journey of 'The Killa Gorilla'

Jared Cannonier is among the most popular middleweight contenders in the UFC and is the No.4-ranked fighter in the division. The 40-year-old Texas native is set to face Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Louisville this weekend at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Before taking up mixed martial arts as a full-time career, Cannonier spent three years in the United States Army and then served with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Alaska before being signed by the UFC. Cannonier notably lost over 100 pounds on his weight loss journey as he navigated his way down to middlweight after competing at heavyweight at the start of his MMA career.

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How did Jared Cannonier lose weight?

After being discharged from the United States Army for testing positive for marijuana, Jared Cannonier moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and began working as a maintenance personnel on air traffic control equipment around 2009. Back then, 'The Killa Gorilla' weighed 300 pounds thanks to Alaska's ice-cold weather, contributing to his comfort food consumption.

Despite his situation, Cannonier knew he wanted to compete at the highest level in MMA. He soon found a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym in Anchorage and accepted his first professional fight against Alton Prince in June 2011. Cannonier won via first-round TKO.

After seven outings at a regional level, he was signed by the UFC and made his promotional debut against Shawn Jordan in January 2015. The fight was contested at heavyweight, and Cannonier lost via first-round knockout. The Texas native knew he wasn't a natural heavyweight and could be a better fighter at a lower weight class.

According to a report by ESPN MMA, Cannonier knew what had to be done and committed to training harder and sticking to a strict diet. 'The Killa Gorilla' began going for a run or working out at the gym at 3:30 A.M. regularly. He'd then go to work before heading to his MMA gym to train.

After a year of grinding hard, Cannonier made his light heavyweight debut against Ion Cutelaba in December 2016. Cannonier's strict dieting and hard work allowed him to move down further to the middleweight division after five fights as a 205-pounder. He made his 185-pound debut against David Branch at UFC 230 and won via second-round TKO.

Cannonier ultimately lost more than 100 pounds before finding his natural fighting weight and remains an inspiration to those navigating their weight loss journeys.