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Jared Cannonier earned himself a crucial win against Sean Strickland at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, further increasing his chances at a middleweight title shot in 2023.
This was a close bout, but Cannonier controlled three of the five rounds. He did far more damage, and blocked out a lot of Strickland’s volume, adding another layer to the scoresheet, so the decision from the judges did not appear to be overly complicated.
Yet that changed during the official announcement, when two of the judges scored this in the exact opposite manner to cause a split decision. Somehow, Derek Leary had every round but the fourth scored in Cannonier’s favor, while Sal D’Amato had every round but the fourth going to Strickland. The third judge, Junichiro Kamijo, also scored the fight, 49-46, in Cannonier’s favor (scoring Cannonier as the winner of every round but the third). The inconsistencies among judges are discombobulating, especially frustrating for the fighters.
“I knew I won at least three rounds, I knew I won the fight,” says Cannonier. “When the judges start pulling that s--- they pull, it’s more evidence they are incompetent doing their jobs. They need to be taken out and beaten with a f------ hose or something.”
Courtesy of UFC
Cannonier (16-6) adjusted his approach from his last fight, which was a title loss over the summer to then-champion Israel Adesanya. He was more aggressive against Strickland (25-5), dictating the action and exerting his will with powerful leg kicks.
Strickland’s patient, controlled kickboxing was never a factor in this bout. Cannonier hit Strickland 27 times with that kick and was only hit with one kick in return from Strickland.
“I didn’t want to sit in front of him and wait for him to go,” says Cannonier. “I wanted to press the action and make him feel uncomfortable.”
The win ensures that Cannonier remains in the upper echelon of the middleweight title picture. A problem for him is that all the other top opponents are lined up with a fight, a list that includes champion Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Marvin Vettori is an option for Cannonier, but he is expected to fight again in March.
Cannonier needs one more win to vault himself to a title shot. That would lead to a rematch against Adesanya, or a new matchup against Pereira. Cannonier struggled against Whittaker in their bout two years ago, and Pereira is a more elite kickboxer than Whittaker with an even longer range. But the 38-year-old Cannonier has improved considerably since the loss to Whittaker. The key for Cannonier against Pereira would be sweeping him to the ground and unleashing his ground-and-pound.
“I would love to get in there with Alex,” says Cannonier. “Not just because he’s the champ, but also because he’s a world-class kickboxer. That’s another challenge I would like to put something up against. And hell yeah, I’d love to go again with Israel. He’s one of the best in the world.”
This win provides a small opportunity to rest and recuperate before the next training camp for Cannonier. The timing is perfect, as the holidays are overflowing with food typically not part of Cannonier’s diet. He has already planned out his choice of candy for Christmas break.
“Candy canes of all varieties,” says Cannonier. “I love those. I’m going to be stealing those off any Christmas tree I come across.”
