There’s been talk recently that the UFC is looking at adding a bout between Jared Cannonier and Darren Till to its upcoming schedule. But, as this is being written, the fight has yet to be booked. Well, Cannonier has heard that the hold-up is due to the fact Till’s working on a new, better contract, and the powerful middleweight’s just fine with that.

Cannonier says Till should be getting “paid”

Till is coming off a pivotal win in November, as he worked his way to a split decision win over Kelvin Gastelum. The victory was so important because Till was coming off consecutive losses to Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal. Further, it marked the first time Till was competing at 185, and he defeated one of the UFC’s top contenders in that division.

Well, as noted above, recently there’s been reports that the UFC is targeting Cannonier – Till, but so far, no luck. While speaking to the media this past weekend at UFC 247, however, Cannonier said this (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“Initially, it came out that it was his ankle, but then he came out and debunked that thing altogether when he said, ‘It’s not my ankle; I may have a few niggles,’” Cannonier said. “But I heard he’s holding out for contract issues. So he wants to get paid more, and we know how that goes. The sport’s still young and we can make as many excuses as he wants, but he should be getting paid.

“He’s fighting top five guys in the middleweight division. He fought for the title. He should be getting paid.”

This is a classy response from Cannonier, and he’s right, Till should be getting paid. Although he’s dropped two of his last three fights, the Liverpool fighter has gone 6-2-1 in the Octagon and the talented striker’s bouts are a must-see.

Cannonier’s targeting a title shot

Cannonier, meanwhile, has been making some big waves since moving to 185, as he’s defeated David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson. As a result, recently it was reported he’ll serve as an alternate for the March 7th bout between champion Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero.

Whether Till is his next opponent or not, Cannonier has his sights set on fighting for the 185 crown soon.

“Whatever fight gets me to the title – now if we’re talking business, and career, and all that stuff, I want the title shot,” Cannonier said. “That’s the next shot for me because at this point in time, right here, right now, I’m more deserving of a title shot than anybody in the top five, in the top 10, in the middleweight division.”

So, we’ll see what happens here, and here’s hoping Cannonier – Till gets signed. It’s a bout that on paper, has the potential for some serious firework and from a ranking’s perspective, it makes sense. Till is ranked #5 in the middleweight division and Cannonier is #4.

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