In the main event of UFC Louisville, Nassourdine Imavov challenged Jared Cannonier. The Frenchman won by TKO.
Facing Jared Cannonier, ranked 4th among UFC middleweights before the fight, Imavov had the opportunity to enter the top 5. And it was done for the ‘Sniper’, who offered himself a finish in the 4th round.
Round 1: Cannonier throws a few leg kicks and the two men exchange standing positions. The American knocks the ‘Sniper’ down and tries to take his back… But Nicolas Ott’s protégé gets up. Jared Cannonier tries to accelerate and place combinations in boxing. All powerful, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ pins the Frenchman against the cage and tries to bring him to the ground.
Round 2: The two athletes go blow for blow with heavy combinations that touch. Jared Cannonier continues to pin the ‘Sniper’ against the cage. In clinch, Nassourdine Imavov is dominated. From a distance, he uses his jab and his English but without managing to shake the number 4 in the category.
Round 3: Imavov takes Cannonier’s back and in turn pins him against the cage. He takes him to the ground, but both men get up and the American reverses positions. Standing, the fighters exchange boxing and Cannonier insists with leg kicks. The Frenchman cannot tell the difference.
Round 4: With a back arm counter, Imavov shakes Cannonier. The American falters and the ‘Sniper’ takes advantage. He insists with his knees and his fists, then the referee decides to stop the fight!
The French fighter delivered several strong and effective punches to his opponent, so the referee intervened and stopped the fight, although the American fighter, who protested the controversial decision, did not fall, with the fans booing this decision as well.
🚨 NASSOURDINE IMAVOV DESTROYED CANNONIER BY TKO IN THE 4TH ROUNDS 💥 MONSTER 🇨🇵
🚨 نصر الدين إيمافوف يدمر المدفع بواسطة TKO في الجولة الرابعة 💥 الوحش 🇨🇵 #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/KNt47oG4Ms
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) June 9, 2024
Thus, the Frenchman won by TKO in the 4th round (1:34). He became the first fighter to finish Jared Cannonier at middleweight. Nassourdine Imavov therefore enters the top 5 of the division. After his victory, he demanded a rematch against Sean Strickland for the next UFC Paris, which will take place on September 28.
Nasreddin Imavov: The referee made the right decision in my fight against Cannonier
نصر الدين إيمافوف: الحكم اتخذ القرار الصحيح في نزالي ضد كانونير pic.twitter.com/NPA1OVwI2Q
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) June 10, 2024
“It is the referee’s job to decide whether the fighter is able to continue or not,” Imavov told reporters at the press conference.
He added: “It suffered significant damage, and would have suffered greater damage if the battle had continued.”
He confirmed: “So I think it was the right decision to stop the fight.”
Imavov is now on a winning streak since his last defeat, which came at the hands of former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Nasr al-Din wants to restore that battle again.
He hopes to face Strickland in the UFC’s expected return to Paris next September.
He concluded by saying: “Sean Strickland is in front of me, and we have already fought at light heavyweight, so I would like to take revenge at middleweight.”
