French middleweight Nassourdine Imavov continued his good form with victory over former title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC Louisville, but the manner of his victory took the shine off what should have been the biggest win of his career to date.
The record books will show that Imavov stopped Cannonier with strikes at the 1:34 mark of the fourth round at the KFC Yum! Center, but the early intervention by referee Jason Herzog deprived Imavov the decisive victory he was close to achieving, while leaving Cannonier protesting what many viewed as an early stoppage.
That stoppage was the last of a run of five straight finishes to round out the fight card in Kentucky. After Punahele Soriano had defeated Miguel Baeza on the scorecards in the main card opener, it was finishes all the way to the end, starting with a body-kick finish from Zachary Reese over Julian Marquez.
Brunno Ferreira unleashed a spinning back elbow to knock out Dustin Stoltzfus in the closing seconds of the opening round of their middleweight bout, then teenage bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. locked up a second-round rear-naked choke to finish Ricky Turcios.
Then, in the co-main event, we saw former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes return from a 19-month hiatus and knock out Dustin Jacoby in just two minutes to snap his four-fight skid and return to winning ways in emphatic fashion.
The lone finish on the preliminary card came courtesy of Carlos Prates, who stopped Charles Radtke with a knee to the body late in the opening round of their welterweight matcup.
The night also saw a little piece of UFC history, as strawweight Puja Tomar became the first Indian fighter to win a fight in the Octagon, thanks to her split-decision victory over Rayanne dos Santos.
UFC Louisville: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Nassourdine Imavov def. Jared Cannonier via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 1:34
- Dominick Reyes def. Dustin Jacoby via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:00
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Ricky Turcios via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22
- Brunno Ferreira def. Dustin Stoltzfus via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 4:51
- Zachary Reese def. Julian Marquez via TKO (body kick and punches) – Round 1, 0:20
- Punahele Soriano def. Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Ludovit Klein def. Thiago Moises via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Carlos Prates def. Charles Radtke via knockout (knee to the body) – Round 1, 4:47
- Brad Katona def. Jesse Butler via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Montana De La Rosa def. Andrea Lee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Daniel Marcos def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Denise Gomes def. Eduarda Moura via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tayor Lapilus def. Cody Stamann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Puja Tomar def. Rayanne dos Santos via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
