logo
Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Jared Cannonier after UFC Fight Night 251 win?

Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Jared Cannonier after UFC Fight Night 251 win?

Yahoo16-02-2025

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Gregory Rodrigues after UFC Fight Night 251 loss?)
Middleweights have dominated the month of February and Saturday at UFC Fight Night 251, former title challenger Jared Cannonier showed he's still a relevant fit among the best.
After a rocky start, Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) rallied for a fourth-round TKO of the surging Gregory Rodrigues (16-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in their headlining bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and snapped a two-fight losing skid.
Jared Cannonier happy to get year started off strong at UFC Fight Night 251 – but immediate future tricky
'Inspiring': Fighters react to Jared Cannonier's comeback TKO of Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Fight Night 251
At 40, there were many questions about whether Cannonier had his expiration point. He fended off those talking points for now, but what does the future hold?
Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Cannonier's future after UFC Fight Night 251.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Jared Cannonier after UFC Fight Night 251 win?

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UFC champion Jon Jones retires, Dana White says
UFC champion Jon Jones retires, Dana White says

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

UFC champion Jon Jones retires, Dana White says

MMA heavyweight champion Jon Jones is retiring from competition, UFC Chairman Dana White announced Saturday. Jones is considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. White says Jones informed the promotion of his decision to retire on Friday. By virtue of Jones' retirement, Tom Aspinall is now the undisputed heavyweight champion. Jones retires with a 28-1 record. "Jon Jones called us last night and retired," White said during a news conference in Azerbaijan. "Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC." Jones moved up from the light heavyweight division in 2023, capturing the vacant heavyweight championship over Ciryl Gane. Jones then defended the belt in a third-round TKO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. Jones has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump over the last year. Jones performed Trump's signature dance after his win over Miocic in November. "A big, big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight," Jones said, which sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. Then, Jones used the crowd's energy to start a "USA! USA!" chant, which they happily joined in for. "I'm proud to be a great American champion. I'm proud to be a Christian American champion," Jones added. That night, Jones even walked over to where Trump sat ringside with Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, sons Don Jr. and Eric, Kid Rick, Vivek Ramaswamy, singer Jelly Roll and others and handed him his UFC title belt. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Khalil Rountree Jr. responds to Magomed Ankalaev's criticism of UFC on ABC 8 decision win
Khalil Rountree Jr. responds to Magomed Ankalaev's criticism of UFC on ABC 8 decision win

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Khalil Rountree Jr. responds to Magomed Ankalaev's criticism of UFC on ABC 8 decision win

Khalil Rountree Jr. calls for Magomed Ankalaev to mind his own business following UFC Baku. Khalil Rountree Jr. was annoyed by the reaction the UFC light heavyweight champion had to his latest win. Rountree (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC), who defeated Jamahal Hill by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC on ABC 8 on Saturday, drew a four-word response from Magomed Ankalaev: "I am falling asleep." That was what Ankalaev wrote on X during Rountree's dominant win in Baku, Azerbaijan. "It's expected," Rountree said at the UFC on ABC 8 post-fight press conference. "That guy talks more about me than I talk about him. He says so much. It's like, 'Bro, you're the champion. Why are you talking about me? Get away. Go enjoy being the champion. Quit talking about me on Twitter.' Gosh. No more Ankalaev questions today. If you ask me, I'm putting the mic down." Rountree had plenty of success, fighting Hill. He connected clean multiple times, and mauled Hill's leg with kicks. However, there were periods of inactivity and times when Rountree was circling away from the former champion and not engaging, being up on the scorecards. Some online felt he could've done more to look for a finish. Despite the criticism, Rountree, who was coming off TKO loss to Alex Pereira last October, was actually very happy with his performance, as he intentionally wanted to fight the way he did on Saturday. "I think the fight was great. I was patient. I took my time. I stayed as safe as I could stay, still while defending myself and protecting myself and securing the rounds," Rountree said. "I thought that it was well thought-out. I thought that I had phenomenal coaching, a great game plan, and I thought I kept my composure in moments that I wanted to just rush and try to finish. I held myself back for the sake of going the distance and gaining more experience in the octagon."

Jon Jones retires from UFC; Tom Aspinall named undisputed heavyweight champion
Jon Jones retires from UFC; Tom Aspinall named undisputed heavyweight champion

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Jon Jones retires from UFC; Tom Aspinall named undisputed heavyweight champion

Jon Jones, one of the most dominant and skilled fighters in mixed martial arts history, has retired from competition, UFC CEO Dana White said. White announced Jones' retirement during a news conference Saturday, saying Jones, 37, informed the promotion Friday that he was stepping away from the octagon. Advertisement 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired,' White said after the UFC on ABC event featuring Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahal Hill. 'Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.' At 535 days, Aspinall (15-3) held the interim heavyweight title longer than anyone in UFC history. His promotion Saturday makes him the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, his first full title for the company. White's remarks came in response to a question about the deadline White gave Jones to decide whether he would fight Aspinall or allow UFC to strip him of his heavyweight title. Jones, Aspinall and the UFC had spent nearly a year negotiating terms for a matchup between the two, but now the highly anticipated fight might never happen. Shortly after White's announcement, Aspinall, 32, posted a picture of himself holding the heavyweight title on Instagram, along with a clip of White's comments. 'For you fans. It's time to get this Heavyweight division going. An active Undisputed Champion,' he wrote. So far, Jones has not commented on White's remarks. Thursday, he appeared on the 'Full Send Podcast' and said he had no immediate plans to fight, despite White's statements that he had previously agreed to face Aspinall. 'I don't want to say that I'm retired because fighting's in my blood. Right now, I could really care less about fighting,' Jones said. 'I've been doing it my whole life at a very high level, and when the edge comes back, and if it comes back, I then I'll do it with my whole heart.' He won the vacant title against Ciryl Gane on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. It was Jones' first time winning the heavyweight belt and his fourth UFC title overall. The win tied Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre for the second-most titles in UFC history. Jones defended his heavyweight championship only once against former two-time champ Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. He previously held the UFC light heavyweight championship twice, from 2011 to 2015, and again from 2018 to 2020. He also held the interim light heavyweight title for several months in 2016 before being stripped after a one-year suspension over a failed prefight drug test. Advertisement One of nine fighters to hold UFC titles in multiple weight classes, Jones is tied for the fifth-most wins in UFC history (22). The only loss in his 28-1 professional record came via a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009. After the fight, Hamill himself said he 'definitely didn't win' the bout. Jones became the youngest UFC champion in history when he won the light heavyweight belt in 2011 at 23 years old, and he still holds numerous light heavyweight records, including most title defenses (15), most wins (20) and longest win streak (13). He is also tied with Hall of Famer Anderson Silva for the second-most pay-per-view main events in UFC history (17). Alongside the accolades, Jones' career has been mired in controversies. His first light heavyweight title reign ended when he was convicted of a hit-and-run when police found marijuana paraphernalia in his vehicle. UFC stripped him of the belt and suspended him indefinitely. Jones pleaded guilty in the case and served 18 months of probation. And in September 2021, Jones was arrested in connection with his alleged involvement in a domestic battery incident, but those charges were later dropped. Jones has also been involved in multiple drug policy violations that cast shadows over his fights and impacted his legacy in the sport. As for the UFC heavyweight division's future, White said he is working with Aspinall to decide his first title defense. 'I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and money, but we'll make it up to him. Tom Aspinall is a good guy. He's been incredible through this whole process that we've gone through,' White said. 'He's been willing to do anything, fight him anywhere and anytime and do this, and now he's like, 'I'll fight anybody. You tell me who, and I'll fight him.' So, Aspinall has been great. He's going to be a great heavyweight champion for us, and I'm excited to work with him.' (Photo of Jon Jones: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store