Cannonier mocks Brunson's insistence on belt: 'He's not in this position'

J. Cannonier at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

The insistence of Derek Brunson for a fight for the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg.) of Ultimate, he caught the attention of the group's number three ranking, Jared Cannonier. After watching the veteran's victory over Darren till and knowing about the challenge for the throne, the best-placed athlete mocked the request and questioned his fellow category's intention.

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“I understand your side. He (Brunson) has been doing this for a long time and has yet to win a title fight. He was close, but ended up tripping against 'Izzy' (Israel adesanya) and now you're back on track. I don't think he's in a position to wait for a title challenge, to be honest. Derek is number five (four) and defeated number seven. I don't think it did much. I think it just solidifies his position as a competitor. That doesn't make you the number one challenger. So if he wanted to be number one, he would need to face me. Then he could sit and wait,” said Cannonier, in an interview with 'Submission Radio'.

Willing to continue proving why he considers himself the favorite for a future title fight, Jared used the quality of the opponents they both faced as an argument. For Cannonier, his path to the top was more challenging.

“I'm ahead of him in the rankings. My resume of who I beat, the last four came from four victories. They were better than the ones Brunson beat. I know he comes from a sequence of triumphs, but four of my five victories were better than his”, he concluded.

With an eye on an unprecedented title fight, Cannonier has recorded four victories in his last five appearances. The athlete's last fight took place in August this season, when he overcame Kelvin Gastelum by points.