Jared Cannonier has no beef with Marvin Vettori going into Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 46 headliner. It’s all business heading into a key fight in the middleweight division.
Vettori (19-6-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) has a knack for agitating opponents before they step into the cage, but Cannonier (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) said there’s none of that going into the main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
The pair even had an interaction early in fight week, Cannonier revealed, and he said it was perfectly cordial.
“I don’t see him doing anything that I would deem – that would put him on the executioners block, if you will,” Cannonier told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 46 media day.
Cannonier, 39, might not enter the fight with additional layers of hatred toward his opponent, but he said the urge to deliver a devastating result inside the octagon is still very much there.
There’s some additional motivation to produce a highlight, too, as Vettori has never been stopped inside the distance. If Cannonier could be the first, he said it would show a lot about his place in the division.
“That’s my goal,” Cannonier said. “I don’t go into these fights wanting a decision or wanting to outpoint somebody, look good on the scorecard. I’m going in there to incapacitate my opponents. That’s it. … I just want a finish. That’s all I go for. Especially considering the fact he hasn’t been finished. I’d love to be the first guy to break that cherry.”
Cannonier said he thinks a win would put him in proximity for another title shot after he fell short in his first bid at gold against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in July. Adesanya does not currently have an opponent locked in for his next planned defense at UFC 293 in September, and Cannonier wants to make himself a candidate.
Doing something spectacular on Saturday would do a lot for his case, and he doesn’t think Vettori will have any other options but to strike with him.
“If he does try to grappling, it’ll be to his detriment,” Cannonier said. “Anybody who has tried to grappling me, if he’s watched my fights, it has to been to their detriment. It hasn’t been easy to holy me down, and it’s going to be damn near impossible to get me down now. I feel I’ve grown a lot in that area and you may even see me take him down to be honest.”
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