Jared Cannonier Rejects 'Gatekeeper' Role Following UFC Vegas 102 Victory

Even at 40 years old, Jared Cannonier isn’t here to be a steppingstone in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

He proved that on Saturday night, when he rallied for a fourth-round technical knockout victory against Gregory Rodrigues in the UFC Vegas 102 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues entered the bout having won five of his last six Octagon appearances, but “The Killa Gorilla” denied the Brazilian’s entry into the upper echelon of the division.

Cannonier balked at the notion that he was settling into a gatekeeper role at this point in his MMA career.

“I don’t think anybody’s put that tag on me. It’s just when I was doing all these interviews, the way I was answering the questions it sounded as if I was a gatekeeper,” Cannonier said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Because you guys kept saying ‘you’re fighting this up and comer, you’re fighting a second up and comer, you’re fighting another up and comer.’ Doesn’t that sound like ‘hey, you’re a gatekeeper’?

“I was just illustrating it sounds like I’m a gatekeeper. That’s not how I see myself though. That’s never how I’m going to see myself. That’s never what I’m going to be. I’m not a gatekeeper.”

It was a much-needed return to the win colum for the MMA Lab product, who was coming off back-to-back defeats against Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.

“It feels great, man,” Cannonier said. “2024 was losses – not just in the Octagon, but loss in my personal life, as well. 2024, I’m so happy to put that behind me. I’m so happy 2025 is getting off on a good note, on a good foot. Camp was great. I learned a lot throughout camp. The whole fight week process was awesome.”

Cannonier has seen just about everything since moving to middleweight. A former title challenger, Saturday marked his eighth main event under the UFC banner. Cannonier is 5-3 in those bouts, and as a result of that schedule, has fought many of the division’s biggest names. Nonetheless, Cannonier is still seeking another high-profile matchup for his next Octagon appearance. If that means a rematch, then so be it.

“If you were to look at the rankings, I would like a ranked opponent for sure. I think I’m definitely going to get a ranked opponent after that victory,” he said. “I would like somebody ranked higher than me. Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher than me are either in line to get a title shot or [they] are going to wait for a title shot or just beat me. But I’m not going rule anything out. If they say ‘Hey Jared, we need you to fight Dricus [Du Plessis] next for the belt.’ I’m like hell yes, I’m ready.