Jared Cannonier has been in the UFC for six years and competes in three weight divisions. He is over 40 years old.
Still, on Saturday night, the former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee presented perhaps his most impressive performance at the Octagon. Cannonier defeated Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in a show prepared at the main UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas.
“It’s always glorious to do five rounds with a guy like Kelvin at that level,” Cannonier said in his post-fight interview. “Winning is even more glorious, if you will. I’m happy.”
Cannonier made all the right adjustments after a first part of the fight. He dropped Gastelum with a right hook in the third and put a stamp on the exit in the final rounds. It was the first time Cannonier had won a five-round decision in his career and only his first winning decision since 2016.
Normally, the Cannonier explosive can end a fight with a punch or a punch. But Saturday proved he (and his coach John Crouch of The MMA Lab) could point to a shrewd veteran like Gastelum.
ESPN has Cannonier ranked No. 5 in the world in middleweight. Meanwhile, Gastelum is the man who gave UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya the toughest test to date of £ 185.
Cannonier then said he would love to get the next shot at Adesanya, but maybe he should fight again before he has a chance at the belt due to a light bank account. Adesanya is likely to defend himself after former champion Robert Whittaker.
“I’m broken, so I need to fight,” Cannonier said. “I hope you get that title. But the right name can make me say yes.”
Cannonier came out in the first round getting great combinations and calf kicks in a strong first round. Gastelum concentrated in the second round and seemed to pick up momentum, getting 1-2 strong combinations out of the south position, including several with straight left hands that dropped Cannonier’s head back.
The third round was pivotal in the fight. Cannonier switched to southpaw and threw a right hook that dropped Gastelum in the first few seconds of the round. Cannonier never really returned control after that, although Gastelum was able to make a backup.
Cannonier hit the hardest shots again in the fourth round before Gastelum made a mini comeback in the fifth with some solid combinations.
“I’m ambidextrous, so I could go both ways and I can fight very effectively for both positions,” Cannonier said. “After dropping it, I was looking for it [the right hook out of southpaw] like crazy, but I couldn’t find him again. “
Cannonier (14-4) would have won a title with a win in his previous bout, but fell to Whittaker by unanimous decision last October. The Texas native, who struggles outside of Arizona, had a three-fight winning streak before that defeat.
Cannonier, 37, is one of two men (Conor McGregor is the other) who has won via KO / TKO in three UFC divisions. He began his UFC heavyweight career after quitting his job while maintaining FAA traffic control equipment, weighing in at over 300 pounds. He then moved to light heavyweight and now competes at 185 pounds.
“After such a hard-fought victory, hell, yes, I want the title,” Cannonier told ESPN + ’s post-fight show. “But it’s not up to me. It’s up to the matchmakers and the UFC. I just got out and I did the best I could to send a message.”
Gastelum (16-8 years, 1 NC) began his UFC career as a welterweight prospect after winning the Ultimate Fighter middleweight crown in 2013. The California native, who coached outside of Arizona this field with former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo moving to middleweight then fighting on a large scale in 2016 and emerged as a candidate, facing Adesanya for the provisional title in 2019.
It was a losing effort, but it was a total fight that was perhaps the best of that year. Gastelum, 29, has lost five of his last six fights, including that barnburner against Adesanya. His hourly strength has been one of the best in any division.
“I’ll keep yelling at people’s buttocks,” Cannonier said, “and I’ll keep collecting those checks.”