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Jared Cannonier and Gregory Rodrigues are trending in different directions. Cannonier defends his place in the UFC's official middleweight rankings against the unranked Brazilian slugger.
Cannonier (17-8) has his back against the wall. "The Killa Gorilla" entered the middleweight division in 2018 and rattled off three straight knockouts. He's only mustered one stoppage in the subsequent eight fights. More concerning are his recent performances. Cannonier is on the verge of his first career losing streak after consecutive losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. Another loss could be the nail in the coffin of Cannonier's title ambitions.
"I guess you can consider me the sacrificial lamb in that regard, right?" Cannonier told reporters at Wednesday's media day. "This is the name of the game: we fight each other. I try to separate the emotional aspect from what we're doing here.
"I'm losing these fights against the up-and-comers and opening the door for them. I don't want to say it, but it's not that I've found myself in a gatekeeper sort of position, but it kind of smells like it if you're on the outside, know what I mean?"
Rodrigues (16-5) was overjoyed to receive this fight offer. "Robocop" had ambitions to enter the middleweight rankings this year, but didn't expect someone as highly ranked as Cannonier to accept. Rodrigues has serious power and isn't hesitant to duke it out. Despite his eight national Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championships, all of Rodrigues' UFC finishes are by KO.
"I believe that's the perfect time for this fight," Rodrigues said at media day. "I respect Jared Cannonier, I respect everything he did. He fought for the belt already, but I know who I am, and I know where I want to go.
"He's going to be one more step in my journey to be the champion of his division."
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Rodrigues -225 | Jared Cannonier +185 | Middleweight |
| Youssef Zalal -500 | Calvin Kattar +380 | Featherweight |
| Edmen Shahbazyan -380 | Dylan Budka +300 | Middleweight |
| Ismael Bonfim -220 | Nazim Sadykhov +180 | Lightweight |
| Rodolfo Vieira -275 | Andre Petroski +225 | Middleweight |
| Jose Delgado -420 | Connor Matthews +320 | Featherweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Feb. 15 | Start time: 7 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues: Cannoner's days as a top contender are probably behind him, but he's still savvy. I'd favor Cannonier's experience in a straight striking exchange. He's sharper and more responsible than his opponent. Rodrigues' wrestling is the difference maker. Although he doesn't have a submission win in the UFC, Rodrigues averages nearly three takedowns per fight. Rodrigues has the power to secure a TKO finish if he can reliably control Cannonier on the ground. The fight favors Cannonier's five-round experience the longer it goes. Cannonier by decision or Rodrigues by finish seems most likely. I'll hesitantly side with the fresher face. Rodrigues via KO3
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