UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier has had an unusual journey to the pinnacle of MMA and a shot at the world title.
‘The Killa Gorilla’ is set to square off against 185lb king Israel Adesanya in the UFC 276 main event this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
To get a UFC title shot is an achievement in itself, especially when you consider the fact Cannonier, 38, didn’t take up the sport until he was 27 and was 300lbs at the time he made the decision to pursue a career in the sport.
Cannonier was in the army for three years and developed an interest in MMA during this time after undertaking a combative training course.
The UFC star was ultimately discharged for testing positive for marijuana and believes he was harshly treated but also believes everything happens for a reason.
"I failed a drug test. I got deployed. I come home. I celebrate and I smoked some weed with my family," Cannonier told MMA Fighting in 2019.
"I get back, I get drug tested and they said, 'yeah, bye,' for failing drug test. When I see people getting slaps on the hands for way less."
“I appreciate the experiences that I got in there, the people that I met while I was in there. I don't like the way it ended. I don't think it was fair. I don't think it was right but, it's all good. It’s worked out.”
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After being kicked out of the military, Cannonier took up a role as an Air Traffic Control Mechanic for the Federal Aviation Administration in Alaska.
During this time, he piled on the pounds as the cold climate led to comfort eating that saw him eventually tip the scales at 300lbs.
Cannonier soon took up MMA and trimmed down before his debut at 27 years old in 2011. Four years later he was 241lbs and one of the heavyweights on the UFC roster.
The Texan suffered a defeat in his UFC debut, to Shawn Jordan at UFC 182, but managed to get a knockout win in his next fight before deciding to make the significant cut down to light-heavyweight.
“When I look back it’s like, ‘yeah, that was me’. Fat and happy, eating everything from anywhere. Undisciplined but fearless nonetheless but I knew I was never a natural heavyweight,” Cannonier told ESPN in 2021.
Cannonier went 2-3 at 205lbs, losing against Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, and Dominick Reyes before deciding to drop even more weight and make a run in the middleweight division.
Since then, the MMA Lab fighter has been tearing it up at 185lbs and he holds high-profile wins over the likes of Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson, Kelvin Gastelum, and Derek Brunson.
Cannonier is the only UFC fighter, besides Conor McGregor, to record knockout wins in three different weight classes. Now he’ll look to replicate the ‘Notorious’ by becoming a world champion in his first title shot.
That’s easier said than done against Adesanya, who has looked almost unstoppable at the weight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ holds several impressive over the likes of Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker, and Marvin Vettori.
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