Going into Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 102 main event of the evening, No. 7 contender Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) was under some heat. The one nicknamed “The Killa Gorilla” came into the weekend on a two-fight losing streak with a 2-3 record in his last five fights.
Jared Cannonier’s assignment over the President’s Day holiday weekend at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, NV: Gregory Rodrigues (16-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC.) A loss on Saturday night could have sent Cannonier out of the top-10 at middleweight.
However, as MMA fans have seen countless times throughout the years in the sport, including earlier on during the main card of Saturday’s event with the lightweight fight between Nazim Sadykhov (10-1-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) and Ismael Bonfim (20-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a contest that was waved off in the timeout between rounds one and two because of a doctor’s stoppage, one-way traffic took over.
Jared Cannonier Cranks Up the Volume Down the Stretch in UFC Vegas 102 Main Event
If you’ve yet to see the main event of Saturday night’s card on ESPN+, do yourself a favor: Get out that popcorn and click the play button. This was a brilliant performance on the part of Jared Cannonier, who overcame an early surge from Gregory Rodrigues.
During the third round of an advertised five, Jared Cannonier began throwing jabs at Gregory Rodrigues, with the latter backing the former up with a one-two combination. While Rodrigues tried to counterpunch, Cannonier decided to execute a level change to keep his opponent honest.
Late in round three, Jared Cannonier fought off an attempted single-leg takedown from Gregory Rodrigues before landing an elbow to drop him. A flurry of ground and pound shots was only interrupted by the horn to end round three.
Jared Cannonier Keeps Foot on Gas Pedal in Round Four
While the break between the third and fourth periods gave Gregory Rodrigues a chance to catch his breath, it was only a momentary reprieve for the latter’s camp. Right from the command to fight in round four, Cannonier’s objective was succinct:
Seek and destroy. He attacked with a barrage of standing strikes, including a punch to the body to only further wobble Rodrigues. Herb Dean, overseeing the fight, stepped in and called an end to the evening’s proceedings, giving Jared Cannonier a fourth-round TKO in just 21 seconds’ time.
“Massive shots here from ‘The Killa Gorilla!’”, exclaimed John Gooden, who was working the telecast on Saturday evening. “He is unshakable from the top-7. It is a big win for the 40-year-old! Don’t count him out yet!” In so doing, Cannonier picked up the Fight of the Night Award and an advance in pay to the tune of $50,000 (USD) this past weekend.
BACK AND FORTH FIGHTS GET 50K 💰
Jared Cannonier & @Gregory_MMA achieved the #UFCVegas102 FOTN!
[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/wgsZxt2jqP
— UFC (@ufc) February 16, 2025
Cannonier Gives Rodrigues His Plaudit in Post-Fight Interview With Cormier
After the fight, the victorious Cannonier was interviewed by UFC Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Cormier. In it, he talked about how he had to battle back during the early going of the fight.
“I guess I was hurt enough to get dropped on my ass a couple [of] times in that fight,” Cannonier began. “But, naturally so, Gregory hits hard as hell, and he was slinging big-ass shots. I was able to weather the storm and keep my composure in those really tough spots. I’d rather die on my feet than die on my back.”
Cannonier Thought He Had Rodrigues Stopped in Round Three
Later on in the interview with Daniel Cormier, “The Killa Gorilla” admitted that he was of the mindset that he scored a third-round knockout of Gregory Rodrigues.
“I didn’t hear the bell ring at the end of that [third] round,” he recalled. “So, I thought I finished the fight. I got up and I was looking around like ‘How come nobody’s excited as I am?’ They reaffirmed that it was the end of the round, and I was like ‘Oh, okay.’”
The fact that Cannonier believed he had the fight won inside the third round by knockout is immaterial in the grand scheme of things. At night’s end, he got his hand raised, and Jared Cannonier proved that, despite being 40 years of age, it’s only a number.
Final Thoughts: The Sky Is the Limit for Cannonier After KO Win
Jared Cannonier’s stock is certainly on the rise coming out of this past weekend’s action inside the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise. He’s in a much better place than he would have been ahead of the new rankings at middleweight on Monday morning had he lost on Saturday.
At the very least, he’s got another main event coming his way in the future as a result of his victory. Should he win next time out, whenever it happens to be, Jared Cannonier could suddenly find himself firmly in the middleweight championship picture.
It’s all up to Cannonier, however. From hereon in, he’s got to take it one fight at a time, one round at a time. He can’t afford to think too far ahead at this point.
