light heavyweight Jared Cannonier (9-1) is headed to Brooklyn, NYC this Saturday night to face the #3 ranked Glover Teixeira at UFC 208. Before making the trip to the Big Apple, Alaska’s own caught up with Bloody Elbow to discuss juggling a full-time job and a fight career. He also talked about landing a new contract along with the chance to face Teixeira. The former heavyweight even detailed potential future plans of moving to 185.
Full-time gig maintaining air traffic control equipment:
“Somebody’s got to do it, right? I got a family, so I got to take care of them. The UFC hasn’t been paying the bills, up until recently. I’ve been blessed to have a really nice job to be able to take care of my family. The work has to be done, and somebody’s got to do it.”
Learning from the heavyweight loss to Shawn Jordan:
“Don’t walk to the octagon smiling, and taking in the sights, and having a good ol’ time. It’s a fight, you know? Be in the mindset of a fight.”
Switching stances back-and-forth from orthodox to southpaw:
“I don’t want to put myself in a box to fight one way. I take cues from different martial arts and I switch stances. So, that doubles the number of attacks I have. The more weapons in my arsenal, the more likely I am to be able to adapt to more situations. Also, why not, right?”
In your last fight, your opponent Ion Cutelaba painted himself green like the Hulk and proceeded to carry around a Jared Cannonier doll to smash on. What did you think of “The Hulk’s” antics?
“The whole painting yourself green, again, go into a fight ready to fight. If he’s busy doing his makeup, it’s going to be a distraction. On top of the paint, he was carrying around a mannequin decked out in UFC gear with a picture of my face painted on it. After the weigh-ins, he proceeded to smash it like only the Hulk can. It is what it is. If he wants to do all that stuff, that’s his deal. I have my ritual too. I say my prayers and I get into the mindset to get ready to fight... You can do all this slashing your throat and painting yourself green all you want, but when it comes time to throw these fists, we’ll see what happens then.”
Cutelaba was able secure a couple takedowns in the fight to which you were able to remain relatively safe on the bottom. Where do you train for your ground game?
“I train at Legacy Jiu-Jitsu here in Anchorage, Alaska. During that fight I was a blue belt. I had been a blue belt for a long time and I hadn’t been doing much gi work. So, I had been doing some gi work leading up to the fight, and I guess my coach had plans to give me my purple belt. After the fight, he blessed me with a purple belt.”
Why did you drop your hands to your waist and march down Cutelaba in the last :45 of the fight?
“At that point in the fight, he was backing up a lot. The only time he came forward was to take a shot. He would throw some shots and stuff but those were easily evaded. He was backing up a lot and I wanted to punch him. I wanted to finish him is what I wanted to do. So, to gull him into attacking and moving forward, I put my hands down. That was pretty much it. It wasn’t planned or anything. It was just hey, ‘C’mon, try to get me. C’mon, whatcha’ gonna’ do? Whatcha’ gonna’ do?’”
How did you feel in your light heavyweight debut?
“The weight cut was easy. It was real easy. Easier than I thought, besides being uncomfortable in a hot bath. It was easy. The weight came off super easy. I attribute that to my wife. She cooked it, and I ate it. When I first got the call, I was like 246 pounds. So, we had some work to do. We had some weight to lose to get ready for the fight. So, give her the credit for helping me get there. This weight cut is going to be even easier because we don’t have to lose all the weight.”
In the past, you have talked about moving even further down to the middleweight division. Do you think 185 might be too much of a cut for you?
“No, because at 205, I still have a fairly descent amount of body fat on me. So, we can cut that body fat and the weight cut will still be easy. I sweat real easy. I sweat very easily. I mean, everybody here can attest to that. I think I’m one of the sweatiest guys in the gym, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue to make 185.”
You are set to face the UFC’s #3 ranked light heavyweight in Glover Teixeira. How did this fight come to be?
“After the Cutelaba fight, I got the call and they gave me the offer along with a new contract. They gave me the name first, and I was really excited about the name. I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it, but how much are you going to be paying me, as a matter of fact?’ I’m not going to fight the #3 ranked light heavyweight for what the contracted stipulated. So, they offered me a new contract, a very nice contract might I add. It’s a good challenge for me, so I’m gonna’ take it.”
How many fights are on that new UFC contract?
“This is a 6-fight contract.”
What do you think of the stylistic matchup with Teixeira, and where do you see your opening?
“I see my advantage lies in the striking department. He’s a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, me being a purple belt, that kind of speaks for itself. Not to say that if it goes to the ground, I’m just going to be a babe in the woods. I think I hold the advantage of striking. I believe I’m faster; I have better footwork. As far as I’m concerned, my mind, I think, is one of the biggest weapons I have. I don’t let things get to me. If I’m in a bad situation, I know how to stay calm and how work my way out. On top of that, I have good cardio and I’m a fairly descent athlete as well. Not to take any of that away from Glover. Again, he’s ranked #3 in the world for a reason. You know, it’s just a fight. I get hit in the nose by my 4-year old daughter and it hurts, so imagine what a 205 pound or a 220 pound man would do. A fight’s a fight and we’re going to fight, so.”
Prediction?
“I don’t like making predictions. The only thing I like to predict is that I’m going to do whatever I can do to get that win. It’s a fight. A fight is a lot like life; you don’t really know what to expect. All you can do, is prepare yourself for the worst situations and the best situations. Again, I put my faith in the Lord, and if it’s His will for me to get the win, whether it be by slug-fest or a quick knockout, I’ll just be happy to get the W.”
Jared Cannonier is set to take on Glover Teixeira on the PPV card of UFC 208 in Brooklyn, NYC on February 11, 2017. The card is expected to be headlined by the inaugural women’s featherweight title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson will be the co-main event. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your UFC event coverage including interviews, play-by-play, highlights, and more!
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