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Jared Cannonier will be on-site in Sydney, Australia in case of an emergency at UFC 293 this weekend (Sat., Sept. 9, 2023).
UFC Middleweight gold will be on the line in the UFC 293 main event when the reigning two-time champion, Israel Adesanya (24-2), looks to successfully defend against the No. 5-ranked contender, Sean Strickland (27-5). One-time title challenger, Cannonier (17-6) touched down in Sydney today (Mon., Sept. 4, 2023) as he’s set to be the official backup fighter, per MMA Junkie.
“I’m more than happy to step in for that opportunity [as a backup],” Cannonier told MMA Junkie in June 2023. “Get paid, even if I don’t fight, you still get paid a little bit. So, I’m happy with that. And I wouldn’t mind a trip to Sydney. I’ve never been to Australia before. I’ve always wanted to go.”
Cannonier, 39, challenged Adesanya for the title at UFC 276 in July 2022, suffering a unanimous decision loss before rebounding with a split decision win over Strickland in December 2022. “The Killa Gorilla” most recently set a UFC record at Middleweight for most significant strikes landed in one fight (241), defeating Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision this past June 2023.
The full UFC 293 line up can be seen here.
185 lbs.: (C)Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
265 lbs.: Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
125 lbs.: Felipe dos Santos vs. Manel Kape
265 lbs.: Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
205 lbs.: Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj
205 lbs.: Da Woon Jung vs. Carlos Ulberg
145 lbs.: Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal
155 lbs.: John Makdessi vs. Jamie Mullarkey
155 lbs.: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones
170 lbs.: Blood Diamond vs. Charlie Radtke
145 lbs.: Gabriel Miranda vs. Shane Young
170 lbs.: Kiefer Crosbie vs. Kevin Jousset
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 293 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 293: “Adesanya vs. Strickland” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.