The Octagon returned to Kentucky for tonight’s UFC Louisville event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov.
The highly anticipated middleweight main event resulted in a controversial fourth-round stoppage win for Nassourdine Imavov. The fight itself started with a strong opening round for Jared Cannonier, who seemingly landed his strikes at will in the opening five minutes. However, rounds two and three proved to be closely contested frames and heading into the fourth round it was anyone’s guess who was actually up on the judges’ scorecards. Then, in round four, Imavov was able to rock ‘The Killa Gorilla’ with a right hook and began to unload another combination. That prompted the referee to step in and call the fight off. Cannonier was not happy with the stoppage and according to his peers was justified in being upset.
UFC Louisville was co-headlined by a light heavyweight matchup featuring Dustin Jacoby taking on former title challenger Dominick Reyes. The bout proved to be a quick affair, as ‘The Dominator’ ended the fight just two minutes into the opening round. After a rocky opening minute, Reyes was able to stagger Dustin Jacoby with a big combination. Reyes followed up with a big left and then a knee that sent Jacoby crashing to the canvas. The referee quickly stepped in and waved the fight off. The victory marked Dominick’s first since 2019.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.
Performance of the night: Raul Rosas Jr. earned an extra $50k for his second-round submission victory over Ricky Turcios (see that here).
Performance of the night: Carlos Prates pocketed an extra $50k for his first-round knockout victory over Charlie Radtke on tonight’s UFC Louisville preliminary fight card.
Performance of the night: Brunno Ferreira earned an extra $50k for his first-round knockout victory over Dustin Stoltzfus (see that here).
Performance of the night: Zach Reese pocketed an extra $50k for his 20-second TKO victory over Julian Marquez.
Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC Louisville event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!
