UFC eyes Robert Whittaker vs. Jared Cannonier at UFC 254 on Oct. 24
A middleweight matchup between former champion Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier is in the works for UFC 254 on Oct. 24.
Breaking: Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) vs. Jared Cannonier (@killagorillamma), UFC 254 on Oct. 24. Per UFC president Dana White (@danawhite). Gotta believe that will determine the next No. 1 contender. Prediction? pic.twitter.com/vS10FcEoie
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 1, 2020
Whittaker is a week removed from a unanimous decision win against Darren Till at UFC on UFC on ESPN 14 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, July 25. It marked his first appearance inside the octagon since losing his middleweight strap to Israel Adesanya via second-round knockout at UFC 243 last October.
The Australian was slated to fight Cannonier at UFC 248 this past March, but Whittaker withdrew due to personal reasons. Cannonier awaited a replacement, until he dropped out of the event after suffering a chest injury.
Cannonier is coming off a 10-month layoff. In his last outing, he earned a second-round TKO over Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN+ 18 last September.
The Hermansson victory is part of three consecutive wins, including TKO finishes over Anderson Silva and David Branch.
This middleweight clash joins a lightweight title fight between current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje.
