Phoenix-based Jared Cannonier set for shot at middleweight title in UFC 276 main event

Jared Cannonier took a couple of questions in Thursday's UFC 276 press conference, two days from his main event bout for the middleweight championship in Las Vegas.

The person asking him the second question wanted to know if Cannonier was worried about becoming "cannon fodder" for the champion, Israel Adesanya, who is 22-1 in his career and has defended his title several times.

"First and foremost, I'm the 'Cannon Man,'" Cannonier said. "That's the whole meaning behind my last name. The Cannon Man, so look it up. I'm not cannon fodder. I'm the one who's going to be blasting and shooting cannon balls."

Cannonier, 38, gets his shot at the title as the featured attraction for the annual UFC International Fight Week that culminates on Saturday. He's 15-5 after starting his mixed martial arts career later in life, and trains out of the MMA Lab in north Phoenix. He chose the well-respected facility because it caters to the lifestyle he's chosen for himself and how it embraces his family of five.

The Cannoniers have established some roots in the Phoenix area, not unlike several other combat sports athletes from other parts of the country.

"I wouldn't call it home. The planet Earth is my home. So no matter where I go, I can dig my feet and set some roots and thrive," Cannonier said.

"They do everything there, and I just wanted to fill in all the gaps that I have my own game and just continue to grow and get better in the sport," he added. "So on top of that, there's a big contrast from Alaska, there's a lot more sunshine down here, which is something that I thrive in. I like the heat a lot, you know, I'm not opposed to this intense heat down here."

Cannonier has a perspective all his own on life and the world, one in part shaped by his time in the military. When college didn't work out for him, he joined the Army and was introduced to a modern Army combative program that introduced him to wrestling and martial arts.

"At that point I was hooked, I knew that's what I wanted to do," he said.

The hope was then to become a competitor and an instructor, but when it didn't pan out, Cannonier finished his military commitment and quickly found a jiu-jitsu gym to continue his training.

"They just happened to have a mixed martial arts team. So I tried my hand. And this is what it's become," he said.

Cannonier had no interest in using his combat training for elite soldier units. He was in air traffic control equipment repair and was deployed to Iraq from 2007 into 2008.

"I didn't join the military to grab a gun and shoot somebody I don't even know, for some people who I don't even know, for an agenda that I have no idea how it's going to benefit," Cannonier said. "I did my job and I got the skills that I needed out of it, and now I'm here."

Cannonier has won five of his last six fights and has won in three different weight divisions: heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight. In Adesanya, he faces a rangy and mobile opponent who has never lost as a middleweight. The two officially made weight Friday morning.

Cannonier, the No. 1 contender, took some verbal jabs from Adesanya, who is a heavy favorite from oddsmakers to win and keep his unified title.

"He can handle the spotlight, but not like me," Adensaya said at the pre-fight press conference Thursday. "I'm just trying to do what I said, which is (expletive) everybody up in this game, and he's next."

Cannonier, taking part in his first UFC International Fight Week, dismissed all of the words and outside distractions as "white noise." He acknowledged the talent and respect he has for Adesanya, but added that there are openings he sees in his opponent that he will look to exploit.

"As always, people don't really know what to expect out of me in this fight. ... they don't know the extent of my potential. And to be honest, I don't even know the extent of my potential," Cannonier said. "And to be more honest, I wouldn't want to know the extent of my potential. So I'd rather keep it a mystery, and I'm continuing to work as hard as I can to be better than I am now."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jared Cannonier aims for upset of Israel Adesanya Saturday in UFC 276