Ex-UFC fighter claims Jared Cannonier was forced by Dana White to accept Michael ‘Venom’ Page fight

Dana White has been accused of twisting the arm of Jared Cannonier to accept a fight against Michael 'Venom' Page by a former UFC fighter. The matchup was officially announced by the promotion on June 13, with the pair scheduled to clash at UFC 319 in August. The announcement may have taken some fans by suprised given that Cannonier and Page compete in different weight divisions.

'Venom' is a career welterweight, having only competed at middleweight on two occasions. However, his previous fight was one of those two, with the British fighter taking on Sharabutdin Magomedov at 185 pounds at UFC Saudi Arabia in February.

Page won the bout, but remains unranked at middleweight, while occupying the No.15 ranking at his usual weight class of 170 pounds. On the other hand, Cannonier sits at No.7 in the middleweight division, and would have been understandably hesitant to accept a bout against Page.

According to former UFC fighter Joe Riggs, 'Tha Killa Gorilla' was put in an awkward position by the company's brass. Riggs' comments came during a recent episode of the Red Hawk Recap, a podcast hosted by Sean O'Malley's coach, Tim Welch.

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Riggs said:

"Jared, he wasn't too excited about it or something. They said that Dana put out something saying that Jared would be on the chopping block or something like that."

Check out Joe Riggs' comments about Dana White below (55:25):

Riggs is an MMA coach at The MMA Lab training facility in Glendale, Arizona, where Cannonier calls home.

Dana White gives definitive answer on Jon Jones possibly fighting Francis Ngannou

Jon Jones is the current UFC heavyweight title holder, and he recently shared interest in a potential clash with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. However, Tom Aspinall is the interim heavyweight champion, and calls for a fight between himself and 'Bones' have echoed from fans for over a year.

Dana White appeared in front of the media following UFC 316 on June 7. He was asked if there were any scenarios in which he would entertain an offer from either the PFL, or Ngannou, to try and make a title bout with Jones. He said:

"It's Aspinall's fight. We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight... We'll figure it out."

Check out Dana White's comments below (9:50):

About the author

Liam is a MMA and Boxing writer at Sportskeeda. His journey into MMA journalism began with a high school diploma in 2017, but his passion for writing led him to diverse experiences, including internships in research and writing roles and accounting work.

Liam's fascination with MMA was sparked by Conor McGregor, with Dustin Poirier's bout against Dan Hooker in 2020 sealing his love for the sport. Poirier remains Liam's favorite fighter, whom he admires for his attitude, fighting style, and persona both inside and outside the cage. He is an advocate for the removal of the 12-6 elbow rule in MMA.

Liam strives to report precise and relevant information by cross-checking his work, reaching out to relevant sources for comments, and adhering to Sportskeeda's guidelines. His work has been recognized on popular MMA platforms, with his article headlines featuring in YouTube recaps and appearing onscreen during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

Outside of work, Liam enjoys playing cricket, practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu, cooking, music, and reading.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi