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“Hitting my opponents,” Cannonier described as his biggest area of improvement. “At the top of the division, I’ve come to realize these guys are a lot harder to hit, especially after my fight with Israel. That’s one thing I’ve been working on since then. I’m learning how to open them up, find those openings, create those vulnerabilities if they’re not going to present them to me, and capitalize on them with speed, power and much ferocity.”
In his bout against Strickland, Cannonier still ended up on the lower end of strikes landed, however, he sacrificed quantity for quality, and his overall damage through 25 minutes earned him the victory on two of the judges’ scorecards.
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Since that night, Cannonier’s taken on a new challenge in training that he hopes will provide him with a new perspective on fighting in preparation for Vettori at UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier this Saturday at the UFC APEX.
“Life has been good,” Cannonier said. “I’m staying busy, staying in the gym. Business as usual; gym, home, more business. I’m coaching a little bit more this year, cornering my guys, cornering my teammates. Spreading my wings in that role, working on my retirement plan, if you will. Just a few other things, but mostly in the gym, as always, working on myself, getting better and I’m excited.”