The greatest victory of Nassourdine ImavovThe UFC run so far was perhaps marred by a questionable referee stoppage after injuring Jared Cannonier.
The middleweight main event of UFC on ESPN 57 at KFC Yum! The center in Louisville, Kentucky, was filled with intense exchanges of technical blows. That is, until Imavov (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) rocked Cannonier (17-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), leading to a controversial referee stoppage at the 1:34 mark of Round 4. .
With raucous “USA” chants echoing, Cannonier began the action with heavy blows. Imavov responded, counterattacking nicely to keep Cannonier honest with his offense. After a brief sequence on the mat following a Cannonier takedown, the middleweights again exchanged heavy blows in the center of the cage.
Cannonier kept the pace high in Round 2, which was matched well by Imavov. Exchanges of blows led to brief sequences of work along the fence initiated by Cannonier. After breaking away, Imavov began to increase the offensive pressure, landing beautifully at the end of the round.
Early in the third, Imavov turned things around with some grappling work of his own, but Cannonier patiently worked his way through and went for his own takedown. The fight remained standing and the intense exchanges continued until the horn.
Imavov found the mark with early combinations as Cannonier circled outside. Suddenly, Imavov hit Cannonier with a vicious right hook, causing Cannonier to stagger.
Cannonier kept his guard up as he stumbled to the cage while Imavov was hunting with follow-up strikes. Cannonier did his best to keep his hands up and avoid damage. Referee Jason Herzog decided to intervene and stop the fight, prompting an immediate protest from Cannonier and boos from the crowd.
As a result of the stoppage, Imavov secures his third UFC stoppage and consecutive victories following a majority decision over Roman Dolidze in February.
During his post-fight interview, Imavov said that he was ready to continue fighting if the referee had not intervened, but that he knew that sooner or later he would find the end.
“My goal is to get the belt, for myself, my family and everyone around me,” Imavov said through an interpreter. “I would like to fight Sean Strickland in Paris. So, Sean Strickland, if you want to do it, come to Paris and we will fight together.”
Cannonier’s attempt to extend his winning streak to three was rebuffed. After defeating former champion Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori, “Killa Gorilla” was looking for another shot at the middleweight title, but now finds himself further from that goal.
Updated UFC on ESPN 57 results include:
Nassourdine Imavov defeated. Jared Cannonier by TKO (punches) – Round 4, 1:34
Dominick Reyes defeated. Dustin Jacoby by knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:00
Raúl Rosas Jr. defeated. Ricky Turcios via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22
Bruno Ferreira defeated. Dustin Stoltzfus via TKO (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 4:51
Zach Reese defeated. Julián Márquez by technical knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
Puña Soriano def. Miguel Baeza by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
Ludovit Klein defeated. Thiago Moisés by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Carlos Prates defeated. Charlie Radtke by knockout (body shot) – Round 1, 4:47
Brad Katona defeated. Jesse Butler by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Montaña De La Rosa defeated. Andrea Lee by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Daniel Marcos defeated. John Castañeda by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Denise Gomes defeated. Eduarda Moura by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Taylor Lapilus defeated. Cody Stamann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Puja Tomar defeated. Rayanne Amanda by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub to UFC on ESPN 57.