# Jared Cannonier

Jared Christopher Cannonier (born March 16, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 4, 2025, he is #7 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Cannonier began his amateur mixed martial arts career in early 2011, winning his first two fights by knockout. In June 2011, he made his professional MMA debut in Alaska. He fought sporadically over the next five years, amassing a record of 7–0.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship
#### 2015

In October 2014, it was announced that Cannonier had signed with the UFC. In his debut he faced Shawn Jordan in a Heavyweight bout at UFC 182 on January 3, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Replacing injured Matt Van Buren, Cannonier was scheduled to face Jonathan Wilson at UFC Fight Night 73 on August 8, 2015. In turn, Cannonier was forced to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Chris Dempsey.

#### 2016

After an 18-month long layoff, Cannonier returned to face Cyril Asker on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos. He defeated Asker by knockout due to a combination of elbows and punches. The win also earned Cannonier his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
In his third fight for the promotion, Cannonier moved down to the light heavyweight division. He faced Ion Cuțelaba on December 3, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. Cannonier won the fight by unanimous decision. The bout also won Cannonier his second consecutive bonus award as he and Cuțelaba won Fight of the Night.

#### 2017

As the first fight of his new six-fight contract, Cannonier faced Glover Teixeira on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Cannonier was expected to face Steve Bossé on July 7, 2017, at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale. However, Bossé was removed from the fight just days before the event and was replaced by promotional newcomer Nick Roehrick. Cannonier won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Cannonier was expected to face Antônio Rogério Nogueira on December 16, 2017, at UFC on Fox 26. However, on October 19, it was announced that Nogueira was pulled from the card after being notified by USADA of a potential doping violation. Cannonier would face Jan Błachowicz instead. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

#### 2018

Cannonier faced Dominick Reyes on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Cannonier was expected to face Alessio Di Chirico in a middleweight bout on November 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 140. However, it was reported on October 19, 2018, that Cannonier would face David Branch at UFC 230 instead. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

#### 2019

Cannonier faced former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva on May 11, 2019, at UFC 237. He won the fight via TKO in the first round after a kick to Silva's right leg rendered him unable to continue.
Cannonier faced Jack Hermansson on September 28, 2019, in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 18. He was victorious via second-round TKO. The win also earned Cannonier his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

#### 2020

Cannonier was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248. However, on January 15, 2020, it was announced Whittaker pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons.
Cannonier was slated to serve as a backup fighter for the UFC Middleweight Championship fight between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020, however, on February 14, 2020, Cannonier announced he had suffered a torn pectoral muscle and expects to be out of action for six months.
Cannonier faced Robert Whittaker on October 24, 2020 at UFC 254. Cannonier lost the fight via unanimous decision. After the fight, Cannonier revealed in an Instagram post that he suffered a broken arm from a kick that Whittaker landed in the first round.

#### 2021

Cannonier was scheduled to face Paulo Costa on August 21, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 29. However, on June 4, Costa withdrew from the bout, claiming he never signed the bout agreement and had issues with his payment, while not confirming them as the reason for his withdrawal. It was later confirmed that Kelvin Gastelum replaced Costa. Cannonier won the fight via unanimous decision.

#### 2022

As the first bout of his new six-fight contract, Cannonier was scheduled to face Derek Brunson on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. However, for undisclosed reasons the bout was moved to UFC 271 on February 12, 2022. He won the fight via knockout in round two. The win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus award.
Cannonier faced Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Cannonier was scheduled to face Sean Strickland on October 15, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 212. However, the bout was scrapped after Strickland withdrew due to a finger infection. The pair was rebooked for UFC Fight Night 216 on December 17, 2022. Cannonier won the fight via split decision.

#### 2023

Cannonier faced Marvin Vettori on June 17, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 47. Cannonier won the bout via unanimous decision, in the process setting the record for most significant strikes landed in a bout in UFC middleweight history with 241 significant strikes. The win also earned Cannonier his second Fight of the Night bonus award.
Cannonier was scheduled to face Roman Dolidze on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52. However, he suffered an MCL tear in October during training and was pulled from the bout.

#### 2024

Cannonier faced Nassourdine Imavov at UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8, 2024. He lost the bout via technical knockout in the fourth round. The stoppage was considered controversial, with some deeming it premature.
Cannonier faced Caio Borralho in the main event on August 24, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 62. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.

#### 2025

Cannonier faced former LFA Middleweight Champion Gregory Rodrigues in the main event on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251. He won the fight by technical knockout in the fourth round. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.

## Personal life

Prior to embarking on a mixed martial arts career, Cannonier served in the United States Army. After three years of service, he was discharged from the army due to testing positive for marijuana, and worked in Alaska until being signed to the UFC.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Ion Cuțelaba, Marvin Vettori, Caio Borralho and Gregory Rodrigues
** Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Cyril Asker, David Branch, Jack Hermansson, and Derek Brunson
** Most significant strikes landed in a UFC Middleweight bout (+241 vs Marvin Vettori)
** Fourth most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+241 vs Marvin Vettori)
** One of two fighters (Conor McGregor) to have knockout victories in three different weight classes
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2018: Ranked #3 Upset of the Year vs. David Branch
* Alaska Fighting Championship
** AFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
* MMAjunkie.com
** 2023 June Fight of the Month vs. Marvin Vettori

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 26 matches | 18 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 3 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 5 | 5 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 18–8 | Gregory Rodrigues | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues | February 15, 2025 | 4 | 0:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 17–8 | Caio Borralho | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Borralho | August 24, 2024 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 17–7 | Nassourdine Imavov | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov | June 8, 2024 | 4 | 1:34 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 17–6 | Marvin Vettori | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Vettori vs. Cannonier | June 17, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–6 | Sean Strickland | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland | December 17, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 15–6 | Israel Adesanya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 276 | July 2, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–5 | Derek Brunson | KO (elbows) | UFC 271 | February 12, 2022 | 2 | 4:29 | Houston, Texas, United States | Middleweight Title Eliminator. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–5 | Kelvin Gastelum | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum | August 21, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 13–5 | Robert Whittaker | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 254 | October 24, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 13–4 | Jack Hermansson | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier | September 28, 2019 | 2 | 0:27 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–4 | Anderson Silva | TKO (leg kicks) | UFC 237 | May 11, 2019 | 1 | 4:47 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 11–4 | David Branch | TKO (punches) | UFC 230 | November 3, 2018 | 2 | 0:39 | New York City, New York, United States | Middleweight debut. Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 10–4 | Dominick Reyes | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman | May 19, 2018 | 1 | 2:55 | Santiago, Chile | |
| Loss | 10–3 | Jan Błachowicz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos | December 16, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Win | 10–2 | Nick Roehrick | TKO (elbows) | The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale | July 7, 2017 | 3 | 2:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Glover Teixeira | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 208 | February 11, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Ion Cuțelaba | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale | December 3, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Cyril Asker | KO (punches and elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos | April 10, 2016 | 1 | 2:44 | Zagreb, Croatia | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 7–1 | Shawn Jordan | KO (punches) | UFC 182 | January 3, 2015 | 1 | 2:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Tony Lopez | Decision (split) | Alaska FC 104 | January 22, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Won the AFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Jermaine Haughton | TKO (punches) | Alaska FC 102 | October 16, 2013 | 1 | 1:50 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Stephen Waalkes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | AK Entertainment: Tuesday Night Fights | April 30, 2013 | 2 | 2:02 | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Joshua Ofiu | TKO (punches) | Alaska FC 97 | February 13, 2013 | 1 | 2:56 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Matt Herringshaw | TKO (submission to punches) | Alaska FC: Tribute to Veterans | October 28, 2011 | 1 | 0:29 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jason Coomes | Submission (armbar) | Alaska FC 85 | October 12, 2011 | 1 | 0:46 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Alton Prince | TKO (punches) | Midnight Sun Mayhem 1: Final Word | June 19, 2011 | 1 | N/A | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | |
| Amateur record breakdown | Amateur record breakdown | |
| 2 matches | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 2-0 | Josh Aynes | TKO (punches) | Alaska FC 83 | June 4, 2011 | 1 | N/A | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Isaac Taylor | TKO (punches) | Alaska FC 81 | March 12, 2011 | 2 | 1:21 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |

## Pay-per-view bouts

| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
| 1. | UFC 276 | Adesanya vs. Cannonier | July 2, 2022 | T-Mobile Arena | Paradise, Nevada, United States | Not Disclosed |