Jared Cannonier

"got a good shot here"

A solid, patient striker who picks his shots but can also put out high volume (the analyst notes he holds the division's record for strikes landed in a single fight), with a good leg kick thrown all fight and good striking defense overall, though he has been hit before. On the mat he is a decent grappler used mostly defensively, with good submission defense and the ability to get back up after being taken down, which the analyst calls exhausting for opponents to deal with. The analyst explicitly engages with, and rejects, an 'old and washed' narrative around him.

barely leans Page's way and tells viewers this is a watch-and-see fight rather than one to bet

Rated a dangerous striker in his own right, with real pop in his hands, a quality leg kick and a defensive shell that means neither man figures to get touched clean very often. He is described as a patient operator who can nonetheless produce huge output when he chooses -- reportedly a division record-holder for volume in a single fight -- but the analyst expects range problems against Page to force him back into patient mode. He rarely initiates wrestling, though a stray takedown attempt here or there, mainly to disrupt Page's rhythm, is floated as a minor wrinkle the analyst doesn't expect to pay off. On defense he is quick off the floor and rated well against submissions.

He takes 'RoboCop' but immediately qualifies it twice - 'I'm not sold on it' and 'I could be swayed' - a direct, repeated hedge on the winner itself, not just on price.

A patient, high-output solid striker with good power, a good leg kick and good striking defense, who can turn up the volume (reportedly a middleweight strikes-landed record) and has cardio built for five rounds. His grappling is decent, with good submission defense and the ability to work back to his feet, though he gets taken down somewhat often because his primary focus is striking. As of 2025-02-11.

Stated twice in almost identical terms, committing to Borralho both times, around an explicit mechanism (gameplan, youth, grappling control over a five-round fight); a floated 'conspiracy' aside about rule changes is explicitly set aside as something he will not factor in, not adopted as a hedge.

At 40 and coming off a close, oddly-stopped loss, he is still called a very good, solid striker with plenty of power, good leg kicks and pretty good striking defense -- patient by design, but able to turn up to a genuinely high-volume output when needed (the analyst notes he may hold a UFC record for significant strikes landed in a fight). His takedown defense is not the best, though not terrible, and he compensates with a good work-to-get-up habit and very good submission defense; he rarely grapples offensively.

He states he thinks Cannonier is better overall and gives a specific round/method prediction (a finish by TKO) with a stated mechanism (power, volume, five-round experience, cardio, overall MMA game). He explicitly concedes Imavov could win, but immediately rebuts it with that mechanism rather than leaving it standing, which the confidence-bar rule treats as a conceded-and-answered route, not a hedge on the win.

Analyst's pick, 4-1 in his last five, 40 years old but explicitly described as fighting younger than his age -- the analyst says he does not fight like a 40-year-old and jokes he has found a fountain of youth. Solid striker with real power and volume (he set the UFC middleweight record for strikes landed in his last fight), able to both be patient and turn up output as needed, with a good leg kick and good striking defense. His takedown defense is a little shaky, but he recovers to his feet quickly and has good submission defense.

Repeated, explicit commitment across multiple segments, naming Vettori outright as the winner and saying flatly he does not see Cannonier getting it done -- backed by a disclosed real wager already placed on Vettori with intent to add more as the price improves, and an explicit dismissal of bettors on the other side as mistaken. No hedge on the win; the only caveat (expects a decision, not a finish) is a method-only qualifier.

A good, defensively sound striker with real power, patience and a very good leg kick that the analyst calls his best and really only path to victory -- and specifically says he needs to land it often and early, or he'll be stuck on the back foot all fight against Vettori's pressure. Takedown defense is not the best, but his submission defense is good if he does end up on the mat. Ten years older than Vettori (39 vs 29).

ANALYTICAL PICK: Strickland is confidently favored to win by decision/moneyline: 'almost for certain' he gets the nod over five rounds; the stated reasoning is that a higher-volume, better 'minute winner' should not lose a decision to a lower-volume opponent. || VALUE PLAY (kept distinct, not a second verdict): Separately recommends a Cannonier-by-knockout prop as a value/odds play ('play Cannonier knockout, Strickland moneyline') -- explicitly framed as a method/price bet, not a competing outcome pick; Cannonier is still described as the betting underdog even on this knockout-method prop. || REPRESENTATION NOTE: Per the brief, this is staged as a single analytical verdict (Strickland) with the Cannonier-by-knockout recommendation kept inside this field as a distinct value/method play -- not written as a second verdict and not treated as a contradiction.

A striker whose technique isn't the smoothest, but who hits hard and hurts people -- including with a dangerous leg kick, the same tool that damaged Strickland in his last fight. He tends to throw less volume and can get caught loading up on one big shot, especially late if he's chasing a finish while behind on the cards. His clearest, and likely only realistic, path to victory is a knockout rather than grinding out a decision; the analyst also pushes back on an age-decline read, saying age has not yet become a visible issue for him despite being the older fighter.