Sean Strickland will be stepping into the cage at UFC 293 for the biggest moment of his career. With the middleweight belt on the line, Strickland steps into enemy territory in Sydney and takes on Israel Adesanya this Saturday. The bout will also serve as Strickland’s first PPV main event, allowing his voice to be louder than ever before. However, a previous opponent, Jared Cannonier also voiced his opinion on Strickland fighting for a title.
The title shot was given to Strickland following back-to-back wins this year against rising prospects Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov. The title shot wasn’t always lined up for Strickland however. Dricus du Plessis was originally expected to fight for the belt following his 2nd round TKO win over Robert Whittaker in July. Problems arose with a foot injury suffered by du Plessis, and the UFC opted for the always-willing Strickland to finally get his shot.
Jared Cannonier Shares His Thoughts on Strickland’s Title Shot
Despite the fact that Jared Cannonier beat Strickland back in December, Strickland was picked for the title shot instead. This is mostly due to Strickland being a fresh matchup for champion Israel Adesanya, as opposed to Cannonier who fought him just over a year ago.
Cageside Press asked Cannonier if he was bothered by Strickland’s chance at a title shot,
“No, I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed man. I think we all deserve a shot. That’s his shot, I got mine after I beat Brunson. So no hate towards him. It’s not like he took my shot. It’s not like they gave it to me and then gave it to him, it was his shot from the start.”
Cannonier doubled down on these statements, saying he was happy for Sean and that he deserved to get paid.
“That’s his lane, he staying in his lane. He doing what he gotta do to get his paycheck, get the fights that he wants. Good for him, I’m glad everybody gets at least a shot, whether the world sees them as deserving or not. Us as fighters, I think we all deserve a nice little paycheck.”
Cannonier himself is coming off a brutal beatdown win over Marvin Vettori as well as the Strickland win. He set the record for significant strikes in a middleweight fight against Vettori and is still hungry for another shot of his own.
Full Interview with Cannonier below:
Are you surprised by Cannonier’s reaction to Sean Strickland’s title shot? Do you think Cannonier deserved the shot over Strickland? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
