Late last week, it was announced that former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier will be putting his No. 7 ranking on the line against unranked Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) at UFC 319 in two months (Sat., Aug 16, 2025) inside United Center in Chicago.
The matchup surprised many, as Cannonier recently brutally knocked out unranked Gregory Rodrigues (watch highlights), reinforcing his position as a top middleweight contender. Meanwhile, Page has only one fight at 185 pounds, making the pairing unexpected.
According to one of Cannonier’s coaches, former UFC fighter Joe Riggs, “The Killa Gorilla” was equally caught off guard and may have been pressured by the UFC to accept the fight.
“Jared wasn’t too excited about it,” Riggs told Tim Welch recently. “They said Dana [White] had put out something that said Jared was on the chopping block. Did you hear about that?”
It’s implied that Cannonier faced a choice: fight Page or risk release, potentially freeing up $165,000 of his current fight purse.
Cannonier attended Dirty Boxing 2 last weekend, appearing upbeat and expressing a desire for ranked opponents moving forward.
“I would like a ranked opponent next. I have a few fights left on my contract that I would like to make the most out of, like a title fight or anything that gets me closer to that.”
