Nassourdine Imavov captured an impressive main event win over middleweight contender Jared Cannonier last night (Sat., June 8, 2024) at UFC Louisville live on ESPN+ from inside KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, but it was marred by a questionable stoppage from one of the best referees around.
Cannonier looked really good in the first two rounds. He was aggressive with his forward movement and punches, which opened up his ability to change levels to use his grappling. It looked like it was on his way to an easy night, but Imavov regained momentum in the third round and finally started to find his rhythm from distance.
In the fourth round, Imavov ended up catching Cannonier with a huge counter punch that stunned “Killa Gorilla.” Imavov chased Cannonier around the cage trying to put the finishing touches on a finish. It seemed like Cannonier was doing enough to defend himself from fight-ending punishment, but referee Jason Herzog thought otherwise. Herzog, who is one of the best MMA referees around, waved the fight off as Cannonier was moving away. Cannonier immediately protested and was nowhere near being knocked out.
While fight fans have seen worse stoppages than this one it’s still a bummer for a main event that was just heating up. Imavov was likely on his way to a finish, but Cannonier is a tough guy to put away. It’s anyone’s guess how the next 10 seconds would have unraveled, but what did you think of the stoppage?
Check out the final moments below and let us know!
man this is even worse on rewatch. BAD! #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/ZsV0A9YL7w
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 9, 2024
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