Middleweights Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier to Clash at UFC 270 on Jan. 22

A potential middleweight title eliminator is slated for UFC 270, as Derek Brunson will square off against Jared Cannonier on Jan. 22.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC 270 doesn’t currently have a location or headlliner, though the promotion is reportedly targeting a middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker for the main event.

The 37-year-old Brunson is currently in the midst of the second five-bout winning streak of his UFC tenure. That stretch includes triumphs over the likes of Darren Till, Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan in headlining appearances in his last three outings. The North Carolina native previously authored a five-bout winning streak from August 2014 to September 2016 before losing four of his next six inside the Octagon.

Cannonier, meanwhile, was on the verge of securing a 185-pound title shot after successive triumphs against David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson, but a decision loss to Whittaker at UFC 254 pushed “The Killa Gorilla” back down the list of contenders. The 37-year-old MMA Lab representative bounced back in his last outing, earning a three-round verdict over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN 29 on Aug. 21.