[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] has altered his mindset entering Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 62 main event against Caio Borralho.
After putting together back-to-back wins over Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori, the quest for a second middleweight title shot for Cannonier (17-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) was somewhat derailed in June when he suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov that was heavily criticized as an early stoppage across the MMA community.
It was a frustrating outcome for Cannonier, because ultimately it was a step backward regardless of the controversy. He wanted to return to action as soon as possible to put it behind him, and the promotion obliged in the form of headlining bout against Borralho (16-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN, ESPN+).
“Sometimes for me, being so high in the rankings, being so close to another title shot, I think I put a little bit of pressure on myself,” Cannonier told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “There was always conversations with randoms like, ‘Title shot next.’ I was focusing more on what could be, as opposed to what was next. Not to say that I wasn’t focused on my opponents or focused in camp or focused on my fight. It feels like there’s been a weight lifted off me not having to worry about the implications of this fight.
“Not to say that there aren’t bad implications if I lose. Not to say that I’m not concerned about the dangers that each of these contests present. But I’m planning to just go in there and instead of trying not to lose, focus more on doing my thing and getting that win.”
Cannonier, 40, said he didn’t hesitate to accept the fight with Borralho when it was offered. He has kept an eye on the Brazilian as he’s carved out a spot for himself at 185 pounds with six consecutive wins to begin his UFC tenure, and has mentioned his desire to face “The Killa Gorilla” inside the octagon.
Borralho gets his wish this weekend, and Cannonier intends on making him regret it.
“He called me out last year or something so he’s been wanting to get a fight with me,” Cannonier said. “At the time I was in a different place. Had a different point of view. That’s changed, especially after the last fight. He’s kept his winning ways and now we get to meet. So all the stuff he’s said about me, anything that he’s ever said he’ll get to answer for it. See if he can make it come true, or not.”
Borralho has proven to be a dangerous fighter on the ground with improving standup skills. Cannonier thinks he’s more complete, and thinks his opponent is in for a rude awakening on fight night.
“I think he’s going to be in trouble even if he does get me down, because he’s not going to be able to keep me down,” Cannonier said. “And if he ends up on the bottom, it’s not going to be too good for him down there. So I’ve got all the confidence in my ground game. I don’t know why people think my ground game isn’t good. I haven’t been submitted in the UFC. I haven’t been submitted in my career.
“When I was green I fought Glover Teixeira and I spent a lot of time underneath him and didn’t get tapped. And I was green as far as my grappling goes back then. I’m much better now. If you guys are thinking of taking me down – you’re more than welcome to try.”
Cannonier said he’s not trying to look ahead of this fight, especially given his newfound approach. However, he has yet to fight current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, and with the list of fresh names to fight at the top of the division getting shorter as time goes on, Cannonier sees a path to once again become a contender.
“I’m going to be doing my thing Saturday night to try to raise some eyebrows,” Cannonier said. “Wow the crowd and put my name back in the mix.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.