Former title contender Jared Cannonier has suggested that doesn’t see what a win over Michael ‘Venom’ Page does for him.

The two veteran strikers will collide on the the UFC 319 main card on August 16 in what will be an interesting appetiser ahead of the keenly-anticipated title bout between 185-pound champion Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev in Chicago, with the winner possibly joining Reiner de Ridder in title contention atop the middleweight ladder.

But speaking to Submission Radio Cannonier, who has previously fought at light heavyweight, said that the “issue” he has with the fight is that MVP has spent the vast majority of his career down at welterweight.

“The issue is that I have with the fight is that he’s not really a middleweight,” he said. “I’m focused on getting back to the title. I understand it’s a big fight, it’s on a big card. So, there is some weight there.”

Cannonier admits that Page is an entertaining fighter — but adds he doesn’t quite see the ‘business sense’ of the fight.

“It’s business as usual,” Cannonier said. “It’s all about the next fight, to be honest. It’s not that. He may be unranked, but I don’t know. I can’t really make any reasoning behind the matchmaking.

“It’s still an exciting fight. I’ve watched ‘MVP’ for a long time. He’s a world-renowned fighter, and we all know who he is. We all love to watch him fight. So, it’s still a big fight and with any fight, a dominant finish will get me back on track of where I want to go.”