Imavov defeats Cannonier in controversial finish

This Saturday (8), the UFC stops in Louisville to host another event for the organization. The main highlight of this weekend’s event is the middleweight class, with Nasuddin Imavov and Jared Cannonier facing off.

The fight, while balanced, was largely dominated by the Frenchman, who won by knockout in the fourth round, but it was controversial due to the order in which referee Jason Herzog ended the fight.

Fight

Great support from the fans who came to the KFC Yum! Cannonier, the center, started the fight with a great right hand and showed his ability, trying jabs and low kicks, while Imavov moved around the octagon and even got a knockdown in the first minute of the duel. Soon, the Russian, who is based in France, started to find space, landed good punches, and even quickly knocked down the American, who managed to stand up and enter the fight in the final part, successfully stopping his opponent’s momentum.

In the second round, Imavov stuck to his counter-punching strategy, which he did for the first few minutes, but soon the fight returned to a stalemate, with Connier gaining some advantage with his jab, while the Russian responded well with elbows. As the round progressed, Imavov began to put together good sequences, especially with his right hand, and managed to break free of another grappling match with the American at the end.

Cannonier returned in the third round ready to take control, his right hand almost caught the Russian, who responded with a combination. Early in the round, the American tried to fit his sequence well, while Imavov tried to land it, but without much success. The fight was characterized by grappling, with few strong offensive moves, the best of which was the American’s right hand that brought danger.

In the fourth round, the Russian fighter caught him well with a right hand, and the American fighter responded with a spinning elbow, which eventually led to an unsuccessful knockdown attempt. The duel became more balanced and featured some candid exchanges. That’s when the controversial move at UFC Louisville happened.

Conounier landed a right hook, and the latter began to walk back, while Imavov tried to push on the American. As referee Jason Herzog tried to end the fight as quickly as possible, he noticed that Conounier had no chance to defend against the Russian’s attacks and interrupted the fight. The decision ultimately gave Imavov the win via technical knockout, but was widely booed and criticized, especially because the image showed that the American was consciously defending himself from his opponent’s attacks.

Bruno Hulk and Carlos Prates knockouts mark Brazil’s comeback at UFC Louisville

This Saturday’s Ultimate event features six Brazilian fighters, one of whom is a main eventer. Bruno Hulk faces Dustin Stoltzfus, trying to build on his positive winning streak. The Brazilian was attacked by the American in the first stage of the fight, was knocked down twice and even nearly submitted, but the middleweight fighter managed to resist and knocked down the American with a spinning elbow in the final stage of the first round. He eventually knocked down Stoltzfus and won the victory.

The last man to perform in the Octagon was Carlos Prates. “Carlão” faced Charles Radtke and also won with a great knockout. The São Paulo native was cornered even in the opening round by the American, who wanted a knockout, but he prevailed in the fight with his excellent Muay Thai. Also in the first round, Prates knocked out Radtke with a well-placed knee to the ribs, earning his second win in two UFC fights and the ninth unbeaten fight of his career.

Denis Gomez also brought victory to Brazil this Saturday. The gaucho fought a very balanced battle with Eduarda Mora as she sought rehabilitation, with good offensive and submission attempts from both sides. Denis had better footwork than “Ronda” and she controlled the fight better than her opponent who relied heavily on grappling, leading to a split decision win.

In an effort to get his career back on track, Thiago Moises faced Ludovit Klein and eventually succumbed to the Slovakian’s pressure. Especially in the first round, Klein caught his punches and even knocked Thiago down with one punch. Although the Campinas native tried to keep going in the rest of the fight, he was unable to turn the situation around for himself and ended up losing.

Rayanne Almeida, the first Brazilian to represent UFC Louisville, fought Puja Tomar in her second fight in the organization. The woman from the state of Pará was beaten in the first round, but she took the lead in the first round with good consistency, especially in the straights and crossovers. The fight continued, but the Indian managed to find some opportunities to play and began to win space towards the end of the fight. Despite maintaining her aggression, she lacked more precise power to seek victory, and Tomar was eventually crowned the champion by the judges’ decision.

Results UFC Louisville – Cannonier x Imavov

Cardholder

Nassourdine Imavov defeated Jared Cannonier via TKO (R4 1:34)

Dominick Reyes knocked out Dustin Jacoby (2:00 of the first round)

Raul Rosas Jr defeated Ricky Turcios via submission (R2 2:22)

Bruno Hulk defeated Dustin Stoltzfus by TKO (4:51 minutes of round 1)

Zachary Reese defeated Julian Marquez via TKO (R1 0:20)

Punahele Soriano defeated Miguel Baeza by unanimous decision

Cards

Ludovit Klein defeated Thiago Moisés by unanimous judges decision

Carlos Prates defeated Charles Radtke by TKO (4:47 minutes of round 1)

Brad Katona defeats Jesse Butler by unanimous decision

Montana de la Rosa defeated Andrea Lee via split decision

Daniel Marcos defeated John Castaneda by unanimous decision

Denise Gomes defeated Eduarda Moura by split decision

Taylor Lapilus defeated Cody Stamann by unanimous decision

Puja Tomar defeats Rayanne Almeida via split decision