Louisville – UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier isn’t sure a victory over Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Louisville will get him a title shot, but he knows a good performance can make anything happen.
“No I didn’t get any indication that this fight will give me a title,” Cannonier told reporters on Wednesday.
“As with any fight (a) good performance will definitely raise my stock. Coming off of a record-setting fight of the night performance against the #3 guy (I) was hoping to get something better than a (Roman) Dolidze matchup, or an Imavov matchup. Everybody else has been matched up. So this is all that was left. I’ll take it.”
Cannonier (17-6) hasn’t fought in over a year due to a torn MCL. The middleweight was supposed to be the one stepping in to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 204, but injured himself the same day he got the call. The fight went to Kamaru Usman instead.
“The day they called me and offered me the fight Khamzat, because (Paulo) Costa wasn’t going to be able to make it, was the exact same day I tore my MCL. So as soon as the opportunity was offered to me it was taken away from me,” he said.
“It is what it is.”
Even though he’s one of the biggest and baddest fighters on the planet Cannonier has had to deal with his share of internet trolls. Social media has made it laughably easy for people to reach out to professional athletes. While most interactions are positive there are plenty of trolls online.
“I’m not going to lie I am human. It is frustrating to see these stupid people, the haters, come into your space, but I’m quick to block a fool,” he said.
Watch the entire media day scrum with Jared Cannonier above. He headlines UFC Louisville against Nassourdine Imavov on Saturday night.
