Jared Cannonier says there are only two options for his next UFC appearance

UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier says that there are only two options for his next appearance inside the Octagon.

Cannonier defeated Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Vegas 34 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex. For “The Killa Gorilla,” this was a huge win for the 37-year-old American to get back in the win column after losing a decision to Robert Whittaker in his last fight. Since moving down to middleweight a few years ago, Cannonier holds a 4-1 record at the weight class and is one of the top-five fighters now at 185lbs.

Speaking to reporters following his win over Gastelum at UFC Vegas 34, Cannonier was asked what he sees next for him. As far as Cannonier goes, he is willing to step back into the Octagon soon after missing nearly the last year due to an arm injury. But if he had this way, his next fight is going to be against a top contender or he’s going to fight for the belt.

“It’s either title or contender. It was supposed to be (Paulo) Costa, but that didn’t happen. I really need to fight. I don’t think (Israel Adesanya) or Robert (Whittaker) are going to fight until next year. So that’s what? Four, five, six months, even? Then, another three and four months after that, I can’t wait that long. So who knows, I may end up taking the fight,” Cannonier said (via MMAjunkie.com).

It’s unfortunate timing that Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker was recently pushed back to 2022, so Cannonier will likely have to take another fight in the meantime. Looking at the rankings, two fights that would make a lot of sense is Cannonier taking on the winner of Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson or taking on the winner of Marvin Vettori vs. Paulo Costa.

Who do you want to see Jared Cannonier fight next after beating Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 34?