The UFC will still be hosting events at The APEX in 2025 and today, the promotion officially announced the main event for the February 15th Fight Night that will go down in The APEX. Former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier (17-8) will be taking on “Robocop” Gregory Rodrigues (16-5).
For Cannonier, this is kind of a make it or break it type of fight. Cannonier entered 2024 on the shortlist of potential title challengers having defeated Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland in 2023. Cannonier suffered a knee injury that kept him out from June 2023 to June 2024.
When he returned, he faced Nassourdine Imavov. He started strong in that fight but ultimately faded and was stopped in the fourth round. It was a bad stoppage, but the fight had really turned bad for Cannonier. He then took on Caio Borralho in a main event in August and lost another decision. He desperately needs to get back in the win column at UFC Vegas 102.
UFC Vegas 102
While Cannonier is trending down, the opposite can be said about Robocop. Gregory Rodrigues has won three fights in a row, but he’s still outside the top fifteen rankings. With Cannonier currently ranked ninth, this is a golden opportunity for him to jump straight into the top ten.
Rodrigues had a great 2024 with a TKO win over Brad Tavares and a decision win over Christian Leroy Duncan. After winning the LFA Middleweight Title back in 2021, Rodrigues made his UFC debut just two weeks later. Since making his octagon debut, he’s gone an impressive 7-2. A win in February gets him into the top ten and he won’t be far away from title contention.