Dana White: Jared Cannonier to serve as UFC 248 main event backup fighter

HOUSTON – As of now, Jared Cannonier isn’t officially booked to fight at UFC 248.

During Saturday night’s UFC 247 broadcast, the UFC 248 lineup was listed, but Cannonier was not among the names on the screen. Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4  UFC) was originally booked to fight Robert Whittaker in a pivotal middleweight matchup on the card. However, Whittaker withdrew due to personal reasons and a replacement has not been announced.

Former title challenger Darren Till has been linked to Cannonier in recent weeks, but the bout was never finalized.

At the UFC 247 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White was asked about the possibility of Cannonier vs. Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1- UFC) and said he was unsure of the bout’s status.

“I have no idea,” White said. “Off the top of my head right here, right now, I don’t know the answer to that question.”

Despite being opponent-less, Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will still prepare to fight on March 7. According to White, as of now, the top middleweight contender will serve as a main event standby option.

This, just in case headliners UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya or title challenger have to withdraw for any reason between now and fight night.

The UFC occasionally enlists standby fights for major events. When the fight goes off as planned, the backup fighter is paid show money after weighing in.

UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Check out Dana White’s full UFC 247 post-fight press conference in the video above.