Jared Cannonier took perhaps the final step toward a UFC middleweight title shot on Saturday night.
Cannonier defeated Derek Brunson via TKO at the 4:29 mark of the second round at UFC 271 in Houston.
Afterward, he called for a shot at the winner of the main event between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
"Hey, Dana. Look at me. Dana, I want the shot next. It's me. Nobody else." – Jared Cannonier. #UFC271
— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) February 13, 2022
Brunson had a great start, scoring a takedown less than two minutes in and then dropping Cannonier with a right hook. Brunson ended the round on Cannonier's back with a rear-naked choke nearly locked in.
The tides turned quickly in Round 2, however. Cannonier pieced Brunson up on the feet with punches and then rocked him with an onslaught of strikes. Cannonier got on top of his opponent and finished the job with some brutal ground-and-pound.
Cannonier is now riding a two-fight winning streak and is 5-1 in his past six bouts, with his lone loss during that stretch coming against former champion Whittaker.
Brunson's five-fight winning streak ended. It was his first loss since he fought Adesanya in 2018.
