Before Kamaru Usman stepped up, the opportunity was supposed to belong to Jared Cannonier .
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Cannonier revealed that he was offered the fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, but an injury suffered shortly thereafter prevented him from accepting the bout. Ultimately, Chimaev defeated Usman via majority decision in Saturday’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi.
“I got the call to step in to fight Chimaev,” Cannonier said. “But unfortunately, before I could tell my manager to tell the UFC yes, I had injured myself. So I wasn’t able to take that fight on 10 days. They called me on the 10th. They called me, offered me that fight – before they offered it to Usman, they offered it to me. So it would have been me. It could have easily been me.”
Cannonier has won four of his last five UFC appearances, a run that includes a split-decision triumph over current middleweight champion Sean Strickland. That would have made him an ideal matchup for Chimaev in a title eliminator. Instead, “The Killa Gorilla” tore his MCL in training shortly after receiving the call from the UFC to potentially compete at UFC 294.
“So finally, 10 days before the fight, they give me the call—11 days before the fight they give me the call and say, ‘OK, we’ll give you a title shot. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. But let me go ahead and discuss this with my coaches like we always do and I’ll call you back with an emphatic yes,’” Cannonier said.
“But not 40 minutes into practice, we’re working, I get hit with a mat return. I’m getting up, we’re working get-ups and stuff—Of course we’re working get-ups, right? Because I’m not expecting to not get taken down by Khamzat. I’m expecting that this guy’s going to be able to take me down, but he’s not going to be able to keep me down. And the answer in my mind is always no, they’re never able to keep me down, and he ain’t no different. So that’s why I was working get-ups—And I got up, I got hit with a mat return. And when I hit the mat, I hit the mat in the way to where my left hip and my right foot hit the mat at the same time and just the downward force of me hitting the ground in that manner went right to my MCL, tore the MCL. I got the MRI, verified it. So this opportunity had slipped by me. Not only an hour after receiving the opportunity, does it slip through my hands in that manner.”
In addition to missing out on a chance to earn a title shot at UFC 294, the injury will force Cannonier to withdraw from a proposed matchup against Roman Dolidze at UFC Austin on Dec. 2.
“I’m scheduled to have surgery on it this Thursday, actually,” Cannonier said. “So the fight in December is not going to happen, and the UFC knows this. I’ve already told them. They already know. We’re working on getting the insurance and all this stuff done. So I guess this is the official thing and official breaking news – if there’s ever been breaking news with my name in it.”
Cannonier last appeared at UFC on ESPN 47, where he earned a five-round verdict over Marvin Vettori in the evening’s headliner on June 17. The 40-year-old MMA Lab Representative is 10-6 during his promotional tenure but has won seven of his last nine appearances dating back to November 2018.
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