Jared Cannonier official as backup fighter for Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 293

Jared Cannonier will be on-site in Sydney, Australia in case of an emergency at UFC 293 this weekend (Sat., Sept. 9, 2023).

UFC Middleweight gold will be on the line in the UFC 293 main event when the reigning two-time champion, Israel Adesanya (24-2), looks to successfully defend against the No. 5-ranked contender, Sean Strickland (27-5). One-time title challenger, Cannonier (17-6) touched down in Sydney today (Mon., Sept. 4, 2023) as he’s set to be the official backup fighter, per MMA Junkie.

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

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“I’m more than happy to step in for that opportunity [as a backup],” Cannonier told MMA Junkie in June 2023. “Get paid, even if I don’t fight, you still get paid a little bit. So, I’m happy with that. And I wouldn’t mind a trip to Sydney. I’ve never been to Australia before. I’ve always wanted to go.”

Cannonier, 39, challenged Adesanya for the title at UFC 276 in July 2022, suffering a unanimous decision loss before rebounding with a split decision win over Strickland in December 2022. “The Killa Gorilla” most recently set a UFC record at Middleweight for most significant strikes landed in one fight (241), defeating Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision this past June 2023.

The full UFC 293 line up can be seen here.

• 185 lbs.: (C)Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
• 265 lbs.: Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
• 125 lbs.: Felipe dos Santos vs. Manel Kape
• 265 lbs.: Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
• 205 lbs.: Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj
• 205 lbs.: Da Woon Jung vs. Carlos Ulberg
• 145 lbs.: Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal
• 155 lbs.: John Makdessi vs. Jamie Mullarkey
• 155 lbs.: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones
• 170 lbs.: Blood Diamond vs. Charlie Radtke
• 145 lbs.: Gabriel Miranda vs. Shane Young
• 170 lbs.: Kiefer Crosbie vs. Kevin Jousset

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 293 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 293: “Adesanya vs. Strickalnd” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.