Jared Cannonier broke a UFC record in his win over Marvin Vettori on Saturday, landing the most significant strikes ever recorded in a middleweight fight in the promotion.
Cannonier was a unanimous-decision winner against Vettori at the UFC Apex institute in Las Vegas, beating the Italian with scorecards of 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46.
And as much credit as the American received for his performance, Vettori was also praised by his colleagues for his resilience, which saw him absorb – and survive – more significant strikes in a single fight than any middleweight in UFC history. Cannonier landed 249 significant strikes against Vettori across five rounds, with the record previously standing at 186.
Cannonier, 39, and Vettori, 29, are both former title challengers in the UFC, with both having been outpointed by incumbent champion Israel Adesanya during the Nigerian-New Zealander’s first title reign.
Adesanya, who lost the belt to Alex Pereira last year but won it back from the Brazilian in April, is rumoured to be defending the gold in Australia in September, and Cannonier has said he would happily serve as the back-up fighter for such a bout.
“Yeah, man, we get paid for those moments,” Cannonier told media after his win against Vettori. “I’m more than happy to step in for that opportunity and get paid even if I don’t fight.
“You still get paid a little bit, so I’m happy with that, and I wouldn’t mind a trip to Sydney. I’ve never been to Australia before, I’ve always wanted to go.”
At UFC 293 in Sydney, Adesanya is expected to fight the winner of July’s clash between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya first won the UFC middleweight title with a TKO of Robert Whittaker in 2019, and he retained the belt against the former champion with a points win in their rematch last February.
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