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Report: UFC books Brunson-Cannonier for January PPV

Jeff Bottari / UFC / Getty

Top middleweight contenders Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier are set to fight on the Jan. 22 pay-per-view card, Nolan King and John Morgan of MMA Junkie report.

The yet-to-be-announced event is reportedly expected to be UFC 270. The location is not yet known.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is expected to next defend his title in a rematch with former 185-pound king Robert Whittaker. The UFC reportedly pushed the bout back to early 2022 after initially targeting November.

The winner of Brunson-Cannonier could be next in line for a title shot.

Brunson owns a five-bout winning streak since losing to Adesanya in 2018 before the Nigerian-born fighter earned the belt. The 37-year-old UFC veteran ended the hype of two up-and-comers - Edmen Shahbazyan and Kevin Holland - before submitting Darren Till in early September.

Cannonier, also 37, has won four of his last five fights, with his lone loss coming against Whittaker. He most recently beat Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision in August.

The UFC has also scheduled a heavyweight clash between Greg Hardy and Aleksei Oleinik for the Jan. 22 event, according to Morgan.

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