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UFC Fight Night: Cannonier v Imavov — Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., June 8, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky for UFC Louisville. In the main event, Middleweight’s forgotten contender, Jared Cannonier, looked to remind fight fans of his presence in the elite ranks by taking out rising contender, Nassourdine Imavov. Sadly, there weren’t many other ranked athletes on the card, and a six-fight run of decisions to start the evening really dragged everything down. Fortunately, the main card helped make up for the slow start, delivering the goods.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Louisville’s best performances and techniques:

An Unfortunate Main Event

Cannonier vs. Imavov underwhelmed in a multitude of ways.

For one, I found Cannonier’s game plan a bit … odd? The knockout artist was oddly insistent on wrestling. Most of the first round saw Cannonier touching up Imavov at range, using his timing and rhythm to close distance with powerful punches. He also did some working digging his calf kicks and overall looked sharper than Imavov, who’s a very fast starter generally.

The tide began to shift when Cannonier kept wrestling. He scored one takedown early, but otherwise, his minutes spent in the clinch were fruitless. He’d shove Imavov into the fence for a minute or two, but he wouldn’t land any strikes. When Imavov broke away, Cannonier looked fatigued from all the wrestling … because that’s not his game! Suddenly, Cannonier was in a vulnerable state, and Imavov found some of his best lands immediately after breaking the clinch.

Odd strategic choice aside, Cannonier was ahead by inches with 10 minutes remaining. Imavov scored his best shot of the fight early in the fourth, a right hand over the top that stunned Cannonier. “Killa Gorilla” wobbled but never fell to the floor, and he threw a counter hook as Imavov surged forward. Three missed or blocked punches later, referee Jason Herzog called the fight.

It was way, way too early for a “Prelim” contest, let alone the main event. Cannonier was still intelligently defending himself, and even if the momentum was turning against him, he deserved his chance to fight back.

Return Of The Devastator

The trials and tribulations of Dominick Reyes are well-documented. He very arguably beat Jon Jones, the judges sided against him, and then he was brutally knocked out three straight times. Oh yeah, and he almost died from blood clots. It’s been about five years since his last win.

All of this is to say: it was really easy to root for Reyes here. I like Dustin Jacoby — a hard-nosed veteran who consistently entertains — but the narrative here was pleading for a Reyes rally.

We got one!

From the first bell, Reyes looked sharp. He was moving well, and his eyes were picking up on Jacoby’s offense. He timed a couple kicks nicely, and when Jacoby tried to blitz him, he sat on his counter left hand. That’s the same shot that crumpled Chris Weidman, and Jacoby didn’t like it one bit either. The kickboxer wobbled backwards, and Reyes surged forward with a combination to put him down.

It’s great to see Reyes not only in the win column but looking sharp. At 34 years of age and 17 fights into his career, it’s not too late for Reyes to rebuild and get back in the mix. Sometimes, a little confidence goes a long way in a career renaissance.

Rosas Jr. Gets The Job Done

As expected, Raul Rosas Jr vs. Ricky Turcios was a fun fight filled with great scrambles.

Rosas Jr. got the wrestling going early, dragging Turcios to the floor right away. He wasn’t able to do much with the position, however. His focus was largely on keeping his hands locked to control Turcios. Meanwhile, “Pretty Ricky” was constantly throwing short punches and wiggling back to his feet. It was a difficult situation for Rosas Jr., who is accustomed to dominating first rounds. Instead, it was close, and the two traded back takes late in the round.

Based on his history, there was concern Rosas Jr. wouldn’t be to keep the pace. This time, however, he showed no issue. Rosas Jr. looked plenty fresh moving into the second and exploded into another takedown, securing the back mount once again. It took some work, but he was able to force his way under the chin for another rear naked choke win.

The 19-year-old prospect remains a serious talent.

HULK SMASH!

Dustin Stoltzfus was kind of beating up Bruno Ferreira for most of the first round. Despite being on the wrong side of the athleticism equation, Stoltzfus found good success in pressuring the Brazilian, drawing out wide swings, then countering with hard punches and takedowns.

“The Hulk” was looking tired and worn near the end of the first, but he stumbled upon the correct solution: spin! Ferreira changed the situation abruptly with a spinning elbow, wobbling Stoltzfus badly. Ferreira dug into his energy reserves and charged, firing wildly in pursuit of the finish. Just as it seemed Stoltzfus might survive to the end of the round, ANOTHER spinning elbow landed flush in the middle of his face.

Absolutely brutal.

Carlos Prates Saves The Prelims

Okay, maybe the “Prelims” were beyond saving by the time Carlos Prates walked to the cage opposite Charles Radtke.

As it turns out, the man with a giant Muay Thai chest piece tattoo is a pretty gnarly striker. Radtke willingly engaged him on the feet, which didn’t end up being the best decision. Prates was consistent in walking him down, and he was landing the cleaner and more powerful blows. When Radtke paused along the fence and let Prates control his wrist, he likely thought he only had to worry about the left hand.

Instead, “The Nightmare” unleashed a perfect left knee to the liver, crumpling Radtke for the walkoff body shot KO. It was a beautiful finish, and Prates should see a jump in competition after three straight stoppage wins to start his Octagon career.

Additional Thoughts

Zach Reese defeats Julian Marquez via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Reese came into this fight with a reputation for fast finishes, and he lived up to it! Reese secured his first UFC victory with a lovely combination about 20 seconds into the fight, exploding forward with a left liver kick. As Marquez backed off from the kick, a left hand follow up and right uppercut found the mark, and the latter shot put “Cuban Missile Crisis” down for good.
Ludovit Klein defeats Thiago Moises via unanimous decision: Klein has developed into a really good Lightweight. Unbeaten in six trips to the Octagon at 155 lbs., Klein has consistently shown himself to be a technical kickboxer with underrated power and physicality. Against Moises, he repeatedly hurt the Brazilian with all the Southpaw classics: a left hand, left high kick, and left knee each left their mark. He nearly finished the fight on a couple occasions, and he showed off ironclad takedown defense as well. It’s probably time for the Slovak talent to meet a ranked opponent!

For complete UFC Lousisville: “Cannonier vs. Imavov” results and play-by-play, click HERE!