UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier has been a mainstay within the UFC for over a decade. The American striker has enjoyed success over three weight classes and maintains a winning record within the promotion.
While ‘The Killa Gorilla’ enters the twilight years of his profession, he isn’t taking a step back, because the UFC continues to throw him into fundamental event fights with the hardest competition available. Cannonier takes on phenomenal Brazilian standout Gregory Rodrigues within the fundamental event of UFC Vegas 102 on February 15, 2025.
Here’s every thing you want to find out about Jared Cannonier.
Where is Jared Cannonier from?
Jared Christopher Cannonier was born in Dallas, Texas. Before competing in skilled MMA, He served within the US Army, where he had his first combat experience through the Army’s combative training courses. (h/t ESPN).
He was discharged after testing positive for marijuana and worked in Alaska for the Federal Aviation Administration working maintenance. Cannonier debuted in skilled MMA in 2011.
Jared Cannonier age, weight, and height
As of February 13, 2025, Cannonier is 40 years old. He competes within the UFC’s middleweight division at 185 lbs but has competed as high as 241 lbs.
Cannonier is listed at five feet 11 inches tall, with a disclosed reach of 77.5 inches.
What’s Jared Cannonier’s MMA record?
Cannonier is 17-8 in skilled MMA. He has nine wins by knockout, three by submission, and five by decision.
| Method | Wins | Losses |
| KO/TKO | 9 | 3 |
| Submission | 3 | 0 |
| Decision | 5 | 5 |
Jared Cannonier debuted as a heavyweight within the UFC
Cannonier debuted within the UFC as a heavyweight after going 7-0 on the Alaskan regional circuit.
‘The Killa Gorilla’ UFC rating
Entering his fight with Rodrigues at UFC Vegas 102, Cannonier is the UFC’s No. 7-ranked middleweight.
Jared Cannonier’s MMA losses
Cannonier has eight losses in skilled MMA, all of which have are available in the UFC. His first defeat was a knockout loss to Shawn Jordan in his UFC debut at heavyweight in 2015. Following this, Cannonier picked up two more wins as a lightweight heavyweight before losing a call to future champion Glover Teixeira.
Cannonier rebounded from this loss by knocking out Nick Roehrick as a part of The Ultimate Fighter Season 25 Finale. After this, Cannonier endured his first losing streak by the hands of future champion Jan Blachowicz and future two-time title contender Dominick Reyes. His loss to Reyes forced Cannonier to maneuver to middleweight.
As a first-time middleweight, Cannonier picked up three emphatic knockout victories, including an injury victory over Anderson Silva and a knockout in his first fundamental event appearance against perennial middleweight contender Jack Hermansson.
Jared Cannonier broke his arm fighting Robert Whittaker
Cannonier’s win streak can be snapped, literally and figuratively, by former middleweight king Robert Whittaker on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC 254 retirement card. ‘Bobby Knuckles’ broke Cannonier’s forearm with the very first kick he threw – winning a unanimous decision over three rounds.
In his post-fight statement, Cannonier gave props to Whittaker and admitted, “I’ll take my L [loss] with pride.”
Jared Cannonier challenged Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title
After losing to Whittaker, Cannonier bounced back with two more victories against Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson. He was rewarded along with his first – and only – UFC title shot against then-dominant champion Israel Adesanya. ‘Stylebender’ prodded away at Cannonier for a shutout decision victory.
Jared Cannonier defeated Sean Strickland
Following his defeat to Adesanya, Cannonier returned to his winning ways with a two-fight streak, including a hard-fought split decision over Sean Strickland. The 2 middleweights stood and traded on the feet for a full five rounds; 56.7 percent of 922 fans scored the fight for Strickland, per MMA Decisions.
Cannonier went on to fight Nassourdine Imavov within the fundamental event of UFC Louisville in June 2024. He lost by a contentious TKO within the fourth round. The consensus is that Cannonier-Imavov was an early stoppage, and Cannonier demanded a rematch.
Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
Despite this, Cannonier fought again in 2024 against rising contender Caio Borralho. The Brazilian fighter battered Cannonier from pillar to post, almost securing a knockout within the fifth round. Cannonier lost by unanimous decision and fights to interrupt his two-fight losing streak against Rodrigues 4 months later.
Jared Cannonier’s Instagram and social media accounts
Cannonier holds down over 150,000 followers on Instagram. Here, he shares training insights, giveaways, and fight news. He will be followed at @killagorillamma. He will also be found on Facebook at jared.cannonier, where more personal insights into his life can be found.
Jared Cannonier’s UFC stats
| Significant strikes landed per minute | 4.49 |
| Significant strikes accuracy | 50% |
| Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 4.39 |
| Significant strike defense | 56% |
| Takedown average per quarter-hour | 0.42 |
| Takedown accuracy | 46% |
| Takedown defense | 62% |
| Submissions attempted per quarter-hour | 0 |
| UFC knockdowns scored | 5 |
| UFC knockdowns suffered | 5 |
