UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier provided some insight into his recovery from the broken arm he suffered against Robert Whittaker.
Jared Cannonier is seeking a middleweight title shot shortly, but he suffered an unfortunate setback to his journey when he lost to former UFC champion Robert Whittaker in his last appearance in the octagon.
Cannonier has had his sights set on UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for months and has a real opportunity to be the next man in line for a title shot with a win over Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC Vegas 34 main event. Cannonier was originally slated to face Paulo Costa before he pulled out due to injury, and Gastelum stepped up on short notice to face him in a massive middleweight matchup.
It hasn’t always been easy for the veteran Cannonier, who has fought in three different weight divisions during his time in the UFC. Cannonier suffered a brutal arm break in his last fight against Whittaker, forcing him to take some time off to recover and regroup.
During his UFC Vegas 34 pre-fight press conference, Cannonier explained his reasoning for taking some added time off to make sure he was physically and mentally ready to return to fighting.
“Conservative approach, I wanted to do it smart,” Cannonier said about his recovery from a broken arm. “I had to get the surgery re-done and some added medical stuff. I’ve been focusing on recovery and not getting too far out of shape.
“It was fun, it was another step in the journey as opposed to a complete step-back.”
Cannonier believes that the added time off allowed him to work on himself from a personal level and be able to put himself in the best position possible once he was medically cleared to return to training.
Jared Cannonier returns to the UFC octagon at UFC Vegas 34 against Kelvin Gastelum
Cannonier enters UFC Vegas 34 as the third-ranked UFC middleweight contender, behind Whittaker and recent title challenger Marvin Vettori. Adesanya is widely expected to face Whittaker in a title rematch next, and Cannonier could get the next spot in line for the belt with an impressive performance against Gastelum.
This will also be Cannonier’s second time headlining a UFC card, after defeating Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 160. Similar to his last opportunity being a headliner, Cannonier wants to seize the moment and make a statement to the rest of the middleweight division that he remains a big factor when it comes to the title picture.