In a fight that should have brought some clarity to the middleweight title picture, the main event of “UFC Louisville” instead brought more confusion—though Nassourdine Imavov was not to blame.
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 57 on Saturday at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Imavov and Jared Cannonier met in a high-level matchup of 185-pound contenders. The first two rounds saw both men struggle with the other’s weapons: Cannonier had his head snapped back repeatedly by Imavov’s lightning-quick jab, especially his double jab, while Imavov had difficulty with Cannonier’s calf kicks and his enormous strength and leverage when wrestling against the cage.