Continuing the series on fights I want the most in 2021, we look at the middleweight division potential fight of Costa vs Cannonier. If you missed it the last fight in the series, check out my Women’s Strawweight article.
Touch of Death
Costa vs Cannonier would be ridiculous. Like, no bathroom breaks, no talking ridiculous. These might be the two hardest hitters you could possibly combine in this class. Just look at their pictures! Jared Cannonier used to be a heavyweight, then light heavyweight, and now he looks extremely dangerous at middleweight. Paulo Costa, meanwhile, just lost convincingly to champ Israel Adesanya, but has devastating knockout power. There is not another matchup that pairs elite level strikers in similar situations available at middleweight, and for the sake of the tension, the UFC has to make this fight happen. Every collision would make me hold my breath. Costa vs Cannonier is the 185 pound fight to make in 2021.
The Killa Gorilla
Jared Cannonier, also known as the Killa Gorilla, is a physical specimen with a fighter’s mind. In the age old Gorilla vs Grizzly bear argument, Jared Cannonier looks as though team Gorilla would win if they had Cannonier’s power. With the exception of his most recent loss to Robert Whittaker, Cannonier has looked like a freak of nature at 185 pounds. I don’t hold the Whittaker loss against him; Robert Whittaker is among the elite martial artists in the world, and his sense of timing was on amazing display against The Killa Gorilla. Cannonier does appear to evolve between fights at an astounding pace. I think he comes into a Costa fight primed and ready to push for a knockout. This fight plays right into his wheelhouse.
The Eraser
Up until his most recent title fight, Paulo Costa’s nickname of the Eraser (in Portuguese, Borrachinha) was 100-percent accurate; the fact that his first career loss came in a UFC title fight is pretty astounding. His reaction, however, left plenty to be desired. Excuse-making rarely goes over well in the MMA community, but it doesn’t diminish what he accomplished up to that point in his career. The man has been a devastating force, finishing four of his first five UFC fights. The only decision came against the robot Yoel Romero. At 13-1 professionally, a fight against a smart veteran who is 3-1 inside the division feels right as a rebound opportunity. I tend to think people coming off losses should not fight for titles, so a vacant belt fight for Costa doesn’t make the most sense to me.
What Will We See?
The reason this fight must happen is the unpredictability of it. The way these two punch and stand in the pocket makes you think the first major collision could lead to a finish. Adesanya and Whittaker, the class of middleweight, are masters of distance and timing; Costa vs Cannonier would feature two martial artists who are masters of power. These kinds of fights don’t happen that often, and the UFC could do far worse as a middleweight revamp to headline a 2021 UFC Fight Night. Give us this tense encounter. We want the power. Give us Costa vs Cannonier in early 2021, Dana. Your loyal fans deserve it.
