The biggest win of Nassourdine Imavov’s UFC career to date may have been marred by a questionable referee stoppage after he hurt Jared Cannonier.
The middleweight main event of UFC on ESPN 57 at KFC Yum! The center in Louisville, Ky., was filled with heavy technical strike exchanges. That is, until Imavov (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) upended Cannonier (17-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), leading to a controversial referee stoppage at 1:34 of Round 4.
As roaring chants of “USA” rang out, Cannonier started the action with sharp punches. Imavov responded and responded kindly to keep Cannonier honest with his foul. After a brief sequence on the mat following a Cannonier takedown, the middleweights returned to trading heavy shots in the center of the cage.
Cannonier kept the pace high in lap 2, which was well matched by Imavov. Striking exchanges led to short clinch work sequences along the fence, initiated by Cannonier. After his separation, Imavov began to increase the offensive pressure and landed beautifully late in the round.
Early in the third, Imavov turned things around with his own clinching work, but Cannonier patiently worked his way clear and looked for a takedown of his own. The fight continued and mutual exchanges continued all the way to the horn.
Imavov found the target with early combinations as Cannonier circled outside. Suddenly, Imavov cracked Cannonier with a vicious right hook, leaving Cannonier wobbled.
Cannonier remained on guard as he stumbled around the cage as Imavov hunted 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, which was met with immediate protest from Cannonier and boos from the crowd.
As a result of the stoppage, Imavov secures his third UFC stoppage, coming off back-to-back wins following a majority decision win over Roman Dolidze in February.
During his post-fight interview, Imavov said he was ready to keep fighting if the referee didn’t intervene, but knew he would find the finish sooner or later.
“My goal is to take the belt, for me, 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’ll fight together.
Cannonier’s attempt to extend his winning streak to three was denied. After defeating former champion Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori, “Killa Gorilla” was on the hunt for another shot at the middleweight title, but now finds himself further away from that goal.
Current UFC on ESPN 57 results include:
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Nassourdine Imavov def. Jared Cannonier via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 1:34
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Dominick Reyes def. Dustin Jacoby via Knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:00
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Raul Rosas Jr. beats. Ricky Turcios via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22
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Brunno Ferreira def. Dustin Stoltzfus via TKO (Spinning Back Elbow) – Round 1, 4:51
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Zach Reese def. Julian Marquez via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:20
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Puna Soriano def. Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
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Ludovit Klein defeats. Thiago Moises via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Carlos Prates def. Charlie Radtke via Knockout (Body Shot) – Round 1, 4:47
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Brad Katona def. Jesse Butler via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
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Montana De La Rosa def. Andrea Lee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Daniel Marcos def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Denise Gomes def. Eduarda Moura via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
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Taylor Lapilus def. Cody Stamann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Puja Tomar final Rayanne Amanda via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s events hub for UFC on ESPN 57.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
