Jared Cannonier celebrates after beating Kelvin Gastelum at
Jared Cannonier says if Sean Strickland is trash-talking during the fight, ‘I’m not doing my job well enough’
Jared Cannonier is confident he won’t allow Sean Strickland to trash-talk him during their fight.
Strickland is known to talk to his opponents during his fight as he talks trash throughout the fight. Yet, as Cannonier is set to headline UFC Vegas 66 against Strickland, he believes if Strickland is talking trash, then that means he is not doing his job and is losing the fight.
“If he’s doing that then I’m not going my job well enough,” Cannonier said at media day. “I’m not putting the pressure on him to make him focus more on the fight opposed to talking crap and taking me out of my element. I think he’ll have his hands a little full to be talking crap, and if he is talking crap, good on him.”
Although Jared Cannonier is hoping to not let Sean Strickland talk trash, he is expecting a tough fight for him. He knows Strickland will want to get to the center of the octagon and throw down, but if he doesn’t, Cannonier is ready to lead the dance.
“I’m expecting him – I know he wants to get in my face,” Cannonier said. “He says he wants to go to the center of the octagon, stand there and duke it out. I expect him to (be the) same old Sean Strickland. Try to pressure me, try to walk me down, stick his jab in my face, get off a couple kicks, maybe get his right hand off. That’s what I expect him to try to do. We have answers for those attempts. If he doesn’t want to do any of that, I’m ready to lead the dance.”
If Cannonier gets his hand raised on Saturday at UFC Vegas 66, he believes a win get him right back in the title mix, especially with a new champ atop the division.
“I suppose so,” Cannonier said. “Me, Robert Whittaker is up there. I’m sure the rematch between Israel and Alex is up there, as well. I’m right there. So good, old-fashioned ass-whooping on Saturday will put me right there in the mix.”
