Jared “Killa Gorilla” Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC)
Middleweight (185lbs): 3-0 (UFC)
Light heavyweight (205lbs): 2-3 (UFC)
Heavyweight (265lbs): 1-1 (UFC)
Jared Cannonier stands at 5’11” tall and has a 77.5″ reach and like all of us, likes to eat. Cannonier has a fighting style where he likes to impose his will on his opponents on the feet with his superior and very dangerous striking. Cannonier began his MMA career at heavyweight and prior to entering the UFC, Jared had earned a record of 8-0 in the weight class. Cannonier lost the first fight of his professional MMA career during his UFC debut against Shawn Jordan. Cannonier weighed in at 235lbs. for the bout while his opponent weighed in at 261.lbs. Jordan is a man that holds TKO wins over former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry and Current UFC heavyweight staple Derrick Lewis.
Cannonier took a little over a year off and returned for his sophomore UFC bout against Cyril Asker in April of 2016. This fight was the heaviest that Cannonier weighs in for in his UFC career at 241lbs. The ‘Killa Gorilla’ was able to KO his opponent in just under three minutes to capture his first UFC win and bounce back after the first loss of his career. But Cannonier still knew he didn’t necessarily have the frame for the heavyweight division, just more so the body at that current time. Cannonier told ESPN last year that:
“I already knew when I was at heavyweight that I wasn’t a natural heavyweight compared to the other guys I’d be competing against I’m a realist. I’m not living in a fantasy. I know what’s what. It was only a matter of time. I knew I had to make that happen.”
Almost eight months later, Cannonier made his light heavyweight debut and defeated Ion Cutelaba by unanimous decision. The light heavyweight division would prove the most difficult division for Jared as he would immediately be thrown into the fire in the heat of the division and face nothing but top-notch opponents in the form of former title challengers, undefeated fighters, future champions, and future title challengers. Cannonier faced Glover Texiera, Nick Roehirck, Jan Blachowicz, and Dominick Reyes while in the light heavyweight division.
I’ll be making my 185lb debut in my next fight. So who’s first. #UFC pic.twitter.com/veqT5d6JD2
— Jared (@killagorillamma) August 15, 2018
Jared Cannonier is 3-0 since moving down to the Middleweight division in November of 2018. Cannonier has looked terrifying with his new chiseled physique and the fact that he has finished all of his opponents at middleweight. The high caliber talent of David Branch, Anderson Silva, and Jack Hermansson have all succumbed to Jared’s power with just under a year of the former heavyweight entering the division. Now Jared Cannonier will take on former middleweight champion and former welterweight fighter, Robert Whittaker at UFC 254 to determine who will take on Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight belt.
