Seven Things We Learned at UFC: Cannonier vs Imavov
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Vladislav Tchakarov
While the Cannonier vs Imavov Prelims presented fans with more decisions than anticipated, the main card left us speechless. Figuratively speaking, of course, as we obviously have a lot to say about it. With six fights that were all action and several unreal knockouts and submissions, this card ranks among the best in 2024 so far. In case you missed the live show, we've summarized the key takeaways from the UFC Louisville results.
UFC Louisville Results: Five Things We Learned From This Card
Before we dive into the highlights of the card, here is the complete list of results.
Middleweight: Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov – Imavov won via TKO (1:34, Round 4)
Light Heavyweight: Dominick Reyes vs Dustin Jacoby – Reyes won via TKO (2:00, Round 1)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios – Rosas won via Submission (2:22, Round 2)
Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs Dustin Stoltzfus – Ferreira won via KO (4:51, Round 1)
Middleweight: Julian Marquez vs Zachary Reese – Reese won via KO (0:20, Round 1)
Welterweight: Miguel Baeza vs Punahele Soriano – Soriano won via Unanimous Decision
Lightweight: Thiago Moises vs Ludovit Klein – Klein won via Unanimous Decision
Welterweight: Charles Radtke vs Carlos Prates – Prates won via TKO (4:47, Round 1)
Women's Flyweight: Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa – De La Rosa won via Split Decision
Bantamweight: Brad Katona vs Jesse Butler – Katona won via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight: John Castaneda vs Daniel Marcos – Marcos won via Unanimous Decision
Women's Strawweight: Eduarda Moura vs Denise Gomes – Gomes won via Split Decision
Bantamweight: Cody Stamann vs Taylor Lapilus – Lapilus won via Unanimous Decision
Women's Strawweight: Rayanne Dos Santos vs Puja Tomar – Tomar won via Split Decision
Ludovit Klein is almost ready to fight the elites
Ludovit Klein can still be considered a fairly new figure in the UFC although he just finished his 8th fight. He entered the roster in 2020 with a near-perfect record and 16 early finishes in 17 wins. It is clear that the level here is higher and he has been struggling to finish his opponents but his unbeaten streak in the UFC continues.
But the skills he showed in his match with Thiago Moises last night proved his exceptional technical literacy and vast arsenal. Moises is not a random fighter and Klein almost knocked him out twice. His speed is phenomenal and his takedown defense has improved a lot. Be sure to check out his highlights and remember his name.
Punahele Soriano is wild but Miguel Baeza's chin is unbreakable
Punahele Soriano finally made the decision to drop down to his natural weight class and made his debut in Welterweight. He failed to finish Miguel Baeza but the fight was wild. One-sided would be an understatement.
The official stats have not yet been released but the preliminary numbers suggest that Soriano landed 265 strikes in 3 rounds. About 170 of them were significant and 152 of them were in the head. Baeza's head should be studied. He spent three rounds on his back getting hit over and over. And landed only 22 strikes.
Another decision for the UFC Louisville results but one of the coolest fights of the night. Soriano will be a lot more dangerous in this division.
Touchdown Zachary Reese!
This fight was destined to end early. Even if all other bouts were to go all the way, this one was never going to see the second round. Zachary Reese has never fought for more than five minutes. Eight fights, eight first-round finishes.
But we did not expect him to explode and put Julian Marquez to sleep in 20 seconds. A huge body kick, followed by a left hook and a devastating uppercut was all he needed. A brilliant combo that should guarantee him a Performance of the Night bonus. Come on, Dana.
Brunno Ferreira is THAT guy
If we close our eyes on that defeat to Ruziboev last year, Brunno Ferreira is a monster. His fighting style is more diverse than the majority of the roster and you never know where his next punch will come from. His incredible knockout through a counter vs. Gregory Rodrigues was incredible. His flying knee TKO against Hawes was even better.
But his spinning elbow knockout against Dustin Stoltzfus last night was an absolute highlight among the UFC Louisville results. One more Performance of the Night bonus, please.
It is unimaginable how good Raul Rosas Jr. will be in five years
Raul Rosas Jr. is the youngest fighter in the UFC and it shows. His energy is unmatched and the pressure he applies is almost impossible to handle. But his lack of experience often leads to dangerous situations and he almost got choked out by Turcios. Most fighters would have tapped at this point but Rosas somehow broke through the RNC.
As expected, he turned it around and won the fight but Turcios turned out to be far more difficult to submit than anticipated. We all expected this to end in the first round. But that doesn't matter right now as Rosas is already an elite grappler at the age of 19. There is no doubt that he will conquer the Bantamweight division one day. If there is a fighter that could break Jon Jones' record for the youngest UFC champion in history, it is Rosas.
Raul also asked Dana White for a 100k bonus and said he wants to buy his mother a house. Might as well give him a bonus too, he earned it.
Dominick Reyes is alive and kicking
How many highlights could we possibly get in six fights? All the UFC Louisville results on that main card were already incredible and Dominick Reyes made it even better. The former title challenger got his first win since 2019 and did it with style. A beautiful punch wobbled Dustin Jacoby and Reyes followed up with a devastating flying knee. Jacoby had nowhere to go at this point and the barrage of punches convinced the ref to put a stop to this contest.
Will Reyes revive his career? He indicated his desire to fight one more time this year but first, he plans to marry his fiance.
The Middleweight division is the best right now
Cannonier vs Imavov was the perfect fight to end this wild card and it once again proved that the middleweight division is probably the most entertaining weight class in current times. Both fighters are exceptional but they are not even the best in the division. This is how hard it is to succeed at 185.
After four fights that ended in the opening or second rounds, we had to witness a longer scrap. The preliminary predictions for this clash were for a full 5-round match. Imavov rarely manages to finish his opponents and Cannonier is 40 years old. And yet, Jared was the quicker of the two and the one charging forward in the first minutes. This fight was close from start to finish and there wasn't much that set the fighters apart before the 4th round. But Imavov found a gap to wobble Cannonier and his momentum forced Jason Herzog to stop the contest.
Undeniably, this was a bad early stoppage. Cannonier was trying to put some distance between him and Imavov and was eating punches but he wasn't even close to being out. Of course, a few more punches and it could have been over with a much more devastating outcome but this stoppage came a few shots too early. With this win, Imavov became the first fighter to beat Cannonier within the distance.
This is a bad moment for Tha Killa Gorilla and at his age, it will be hard to bounce back and earn a title shot. But his speed and power at 40 are truly unbelievable.
To sum it all up, we would argue that this was the best Fight Night since the start of the year. There were some good events a while ago but this card was absolutely stacked and it delivered on all fronts. Just scrolling through the UFC Louisville results is not good enough, you need to watch this card if you missed it.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
