UFC 271: Jared Cannonier Says He Could Go To 170

Houston, TX – UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier comes into his bout against Derek Brunson at UFC 271 on Saturday night with one goal in mind; a shot at middleweight gold.

Cannonier (14-5) believes that with a win he should get the next shot at the 185-pound title.

“Yeah, who else is there, right? So there’s nobody else. There’s no clear contender at this point in time so #3 vs. #4, yeah that’s the one,” Cannonier said at media day on Wednesday.

Cannonier is currently ranked #3 with Brunson (23-7) trailing at #4. The winner would seem to be next for the winner of the main event at UFC 271.

“I don’t care either way (who wins). I’m not hanging onto that Robert loss like, ‘Oh I can’t wait to get my hands on him’ and I’m not looking up to Izzy like, ‘Oh I can’t wait to fight Izzy!’ or anything like that. A fight’s a fight. Whoever it is I’m going to do the best I can to put you away. I know the fans would like to see either of those fights both are exciting. For me both are a welcome challenge. I look forward to, if I fight one next, I’ll fight the other one some other time down the line for sure because they’re both right there.”

“Both of those guys are high-level fighters some of the best in the UFC let alone the world. They’re just holding the spot for me.”

If it doesn’t workout at middleweight maybe welterweight is the move for Cannonier?

“I can go to 170 if I wanted to. I was fighting at heavyweight it doesn’t mean I’m a heavyweight. I was never a light heavyweight. All the guys who I fought in those divisions have always had the size advantage over. And some of the guys in this division would have the size advantage over me. They’re taller some of them are longer. Who knows what the future holds. I will definitely be a middleweight champion. You may end up seeing double champ status maybe even triple champ. Maybe I revisit my old divisions more ripped and chiseled probably.”

Watch the full UFC 271 media day press scrum with Jared Cannonier above. More coverage from the event can be found below.