Is Cannonier vs Imavov 2 The Move To Make?

UFC Louisville blew the roof off KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., this past weekend (Sat., June 8, 2024), leaving plenty of fighters feeling the post-fight blues thanks to several highlight-reel finishes.

Among them was Dustin Jacoby, who was knocked out in the first round by former Light Heavyweight title contender, Dominick Reyes (see it again here). And Julian Marquez, who was erased by Zachary Reese in just 20 seconds (highlights).

And let’s not forget about Dustin Stoltzfus, who was stopped by a nasty spinning elbow courtesy of Brunno Ferreira (see it again here). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Jared Cannonier.

In the mixed martial arts (MMA), bad stoppages are nothing new. But, when Jason Herzog stepped in to stop the fight between Nassourdine Imavov vs. Jared Cannonier in the main event, it was one of the worst stoppages fight fans have seen in awhile.

We all understand that the job of a referee is not easy, but when a rocked fighter is fighting back, there is no need to step in and put a halt to the action. And that’s just what happened when Imavov visibly hurt Cannonier in round four of their Middleweight scrap.

Still, Cannonier had his wits about him while he was trying to shake off the cobwebs, and even had enough sense to unleash a brief counter attack before Herzog stepped in and prematurely stopped the fight. Afterward, Herzog openly said he needed to “re-evaluate” after receiving plenty of criticism and backlash.

“I get it,” Herzog wrote. “I know what I was seeing in the moment, but I’ve gotten enough feedback telling me I need to reevaluate, so I will.”

Still, that won’t make things right for Cannonier because the decision is final and nothing will change that. The only thing that may be fair to “Killa Gorilla” is if he gets a rematch against Imavov. But, that is something that is easier said than done since Imavov probably has no desire (or even legitimate reason) to run things back.

“It’s the job of the referee to decide if the fighter is able to keep going or not,” Imavov said post-fight (via MMA Junkie). “He took a lot of damage, and he would’ve taken even more if the fight would’ve continued, so I think it was the right decision to stop it.”

But, if there was ever cause for an immediate rematch, this may be it. At the moment, Cannonier is sitting in the No. 4 spot, while Imavov is holding down position No. 7 at 185 pounds.

Imavov is likely looking at someone else at the moment, and if Cannonier doesn’t get the rematch, then I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the promotion pair up Imavov against Brendan Allen, who is on a seven-fight win streak, is ranked No. 6 and, more important, has an empty dance card at the moment.

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