Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier 17-7-0 [10KO – 2SUB – 5DEC] has done it all in the UFC. After entering the promotion at Heavyweight he transformed his physique to settle at Middleweight. Jared is a fundamental expert with an incredibly sound Mixed Martial Arts base. Regardless of his losses he is always competitive and has lingered around the top of the Middleweight’s since entering the division. Though impressively well-rounded he recently stumbled at the point of returning to a title shot.
Last time out against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC on ESPN 57 Jared was finished by TKO in the fourth round. A fight in which he looked sharp early on. The trademark piercing jab and thudding low kicks caused Imavov early discomfort. But as the combinations of Nassourdine began to flow a big right hand in the fourth left Cannonier stumbling. To the frustration of Jared, referee Jason Herzog intervened saving Cannonier from himself. The consensus around the stoppage is that it was premature as he was still standing. Looking to put the loss to bed Jared Cannonier returns to action just two months later. Ready to go and excited to face a rising star, Jared sees this upcoming fight as a compliment to his ability.
This weekend at UFC Fight Night Vegas 96 Jared Cannonier aims to derail the mounting Middleweight prospect “The Natural” Caio Borralho.
Caio and His Fighting Nerds
The new kids on the block of the UFC in 2024 are The Fighting Nerds of Brazil. With several prospects across a variety of divisions just two years since their emergence in the UFC, the Nerds are on top. Names such as; Caio Borralho, Mauricio Ruffy, Carlos Prates and Jean Silva to name a few. Catapulted into the MMA mainstream by their hallmark ‘nerd glasses’ this exciting gym has gifted the organisation a fresh lick of paint—no fresher than the man of this weekend’s main event the aforementioned Caio Borralho.
Caio Borralho is riding a 16 unbeaten streak 16-1-0 (1) [5KO – 4SUB – 7DEC] and has looked unstoppable along the way. A threat on the radars of the entire 185lb division since his dominant Dana White’s Contender Series arrival. Debuting in 2022 in identically dominant fashion and maintaining his signature smothering style up to this point. Presenting a bouncing karate style capitalised by his explosive combinations. The unscathed Borralho’s forte is to get a hold of you and drag you into deep waters. A physically imposing grappler who sticks to his opponents like glue.
When forced to “The Natural” is more than happy to bite down on his mouthpiece and slug it out. Evident in his most recent victory over the equally dominant grappler Paul Craig. Caio did not entertain the grappling ploughing through the veteran Craig leaving him sprawled out on the canvas in the second round.
With the strength and take-down defence of Cannonier, will Caio be forced to stand and trade with “The Killa Gorilla”?
The Numbers
Jared Cannonier (40) enters this bout 9 years the senior to Caio (31). Caio is the slightly taller of the two standing 6’1″ to Jared’s 5’11”, Whilst Cannonier has a 2.5″ reach advantage at 77.5″ to Borralho’s 75″. The 9-year age gap may seem a disadvantage, however, the difference in competition faced is evident. Caio’s toughest test yet was Paul Craig, who despite being a crafty veteran does not compare to Jared’s former foes; Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva and Sean Strickland.
The two fighters’ UFC stats tell the story of their upcoming fight. Jared Cannonier is the busier of the two with an average of 4.62 strikes landed per minute to Caio’s 2.91. On the flip side for all his activity Jared gives one to take one. He also averages a worryingly similar 4.19 strikes absorbed per minute compared to Borralho’s 2.06. This shows Jared’s familiarity with a brawl and Borralho’s fondness for remaining defensively sound. In addition to the striking statistics, Jared averages a much lower average takedowns attempted per 15 minutes. Cannonier averages 0.47 to Caio’s telling 1.99. Although Borralho is fond of a takedown Jared’s strength and 61% takedown defence means he is not the easiest to ground. But with just 2 career submission’s it is unlikely that Caio will be afraid to enter the grappling department.
Jared Cannonier has never been finished by submission, but his next opponent Borralho may be his toughest grappling test yet.
Jared’s Keys to Victory
For “The Killa Gorilla” to emerge victorious this weekend he will certainly keep doing what he has always been doing. Over the years despite brushing up on his technique the gameplan of Cannonier has remained the same. As mentioned before he excels in the fundamentals and rarely delves into extravagance. There is little flashy about Jared, just constant forward pressure and Heavyweight power. Despite depleting 60 lbs from his former Heavyweight frame, the power remains the same.
The same thumping leg kicks that finished Middleweight royalty Anderson Silva will serve him well this weekend. Taking away the lateral movement and explosiveness of Caio will aid him in keeping the exciteable Borralho in one place. Slowing his movement will allow Jared to establish his piston-like jab which is arguably Cannonier’s best weapon. The next key is to keep the fight on the fight.
Regardless of the fact Cannonier is yet to be submitted in his MMA career, if there was ever a man to do it, it is Caio Borralho. “The Natural’s” heavy top control will certainly cause Jared issues. One factor most notable to mention is Cannonier’s experience in 5 round fights. Of his last 6 fights Cannonier has fought to a 5 round decision 4 times. Meanwhile, Caio is yet to see a fourth round. Not to say he is incapable of competing for 5 but as we are yet to see it in the UFC this will favour Jared.
Notably witnessed in his last victory over Marvin Vettori where Jared set a Middleweight record for most strikes landed, landing 257 times on Vettori. Jared can maintain a high striking pace for 25 minutes. If Caio fails to get the fight to the ground the powerful and relentless impact of “The Killa Gorilla” is bound to cause the face of The Fighting Nerds, Caio Borralho, some significant struggle.
Will Jared “The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier return to winning ways against the dominant prospect “The Natural” Caio Borralho this weekend in Vegas?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
