Part-time fighter Jared Cannonier seeking KO of Glover Teixeira at UFC 208

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Glover Teixeira has been one of the best light heavyweights in the world for nearly decade. Apparently that matters little to UFC 208 opponent and top divisional up-and-comer Jared Cannonier.

Cannonier (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has just three UFC fights to his name and is yet to fully commit to the sport, splitting his time between training and working a regular day job. It’s not ideal, but with just 10 pro fights overall, he has yet to reach a position in which he can lean all his financial stability on a career in MMA.

Fighting a former UFC title challenger such as Teixeira (25-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is his chance to break through to the next level, though, and Cannonier believes a win over the Brazilian would be the starting point toward investing himself 100 percent to fighting.

“I was excited at the prospect of fighting Glover,” Cannonier told MMAjunkie at a media day in support of UFC 208. “Glover’s a really good fighter, and to put myself up against a good fighter and for them to put together the matchup shows me that they see something. I already know that. I always have known it. Everyone else is starting to see it now, and hopefully on Saturday they’ll see a whole lot more. Going back to the full-time job thing, when all is said and done and I’m a full-time fighter, there’s going to be so much more that these guys are going to see. When the future comes, it’s going to be good.”

UFC 208 takes place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Cannonier vs. Teixeira airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Teixeira, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, has only suffered losses to No. 1-ranked Jon Jones, No. 3 Anthony Johnson and No. 4 Phil Davis over the past 12 years of his career. Unranked Cannonier has never experienced that level of competition, which has some counting him out of the upcoming fight.

Cannonier said that doesn’t fluster him, though. Teixeira currently is less than a 2-1 betting favorite, and that’s certainly for a reason. Cannonier has shown a lot of promise so far in his UFC career, which he said is one reason why he’s able to push any doubters aside.

“I don’t let nobody’s opinion affect how I feel or act,” Cannonier said. “People who do that, they end up in jail or they end up dead. People can say what they want, think what they want. My wife can’t help herself. She looks at the comments (on stories) and stuff. I don’t care about that. I know what I can do. There’s a reason I’m here. Whatever everybody else wants to say, let them say it. I’ll show them. Eventually, they’re going to be huge fans. They’re like snakes in the grass. They want to cuddle up to you, then they want to bite you when things don’t go your way. I’ve got to protect myself as well as my family. They can say what they want as long as they’re over there.”

After losing his UFC debut to Shawn Jordan in a heavyweight bout at UFC 182 in January 2015, Cannonier rattled off back-to-back wins over Cyril Asker and Ion Cutelaba, the latter of which marked his 205-pound debut inside the octagon.

Teixeira is a considerable step up from those athletes, but Cannonier believes he’s more than ready for the challenge. He intends on winning at all costs, but ideally he would like to send a message to the division that he’s truly arrived by delivering an emphatic knockout.

“It doesn’t matter as long as I get my hand raised, (but) probably it’s going to be a standup war,” Cannonier said. “I don’t even want a war. I just want to touch him – he’ll fall down, sleep and I get my hand raised. That would be ideal.”

For more on UFC 208, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.