Jared Cannonier didn’t hear no bell.
The former UFC title challenger was still up on his feet right when the referee decided to step in and wave off his UFC Louisville main event against Nassourdine Imavov last weekend. Cannonier had looked to be in trouble after a swarm of punches from Imavov, but still stood his ground, looking to counter before the fight was ultimately ruled a standing TKO for Imavov in round 3.
‘Gut Wrenching Is An Understatement’, Cannonier On TKO Stoppage Loss
Referee Jason Herzog faced a lot of backlash for what was considered by many to be an early stoppage as Cannonier wanted to continue in the fight, in which he believed himself to be winning on the judges’ scorecards. With there an argument to be made, Cannonier reflects on his loss to Imavov that snapped a two-fight win streak, also eliminating any chances of him fighting for the middleweight title anytime soon.
“It’s gut wrenching to say the least,” Cannonier said on The MMA Hour. “It definitely took some time to collect myself. I had to go back and rewatch the fight and really relive the whole thing all over again and it was really gut wrenching and it feels like the opportunity to do great things was pretty much stolen from me, stolen from me in that moment.
“It’s just something that as fighters, we win and we lose and then we have to live with it and it’s definitely not fun. Doesn’t get any easier every time but it doesn’t feel like I lost the fight. I just feel like it was taken from me. The opportunity to persevere which is one thing I’ve done in a lot of my fights and continue on and try to make good on the fight. So, gut wrenching is an understatement.”
A Logjam At 185lbs
The UFC Middleweight division finds itself in a hot mess at the moment with the next title fight between Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya still to be announced, title eliminator between Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev yet to go down.
With that said, the top-ranked Imavov asked for rematch with former champ Sean Strickland, who he previously lost to last year. However, Cannonier believes he’s earned the right to his own rubber match with Imavov considering how their fight ended in controversial fashion.
“I think they’re all in agreement that it was a very bad stoppage,” Cannonier said regarding the UFC brass. “Like a horrible stoppage, you know? I think the whole world is in agreement that was. That was the worst thing that could have happened that night. That fight ending the way it ended. So, yes, they’re all in agreement. As far as any compensation, I don’t know. I want to petition for a rematch.
“The UFC is going to Paris in September. I would love to go to Nassourdine’s backyard and make that right. He’ll have the home field advantage…. that’s what I would like in order to make that right. If that was to make that right, that’s something I would want. A rematch in Paris. He came over here, so I’m more than happy to go over there.”
Cannonier: Referee Got The Finish, Not Imavov
While Cannonier was in definitely trouble in the third round of his five-round fight against Imavov, Cannonier maintains it is not the Frenchman who became the first middleweight fighter to finish him. No, ‘Killa Gorilla’ gives the credit to Jason Herzog, the third man in the Octagon, for the TKO stoppage.
“I don’t think Nassourdine would agree, but I don’t care what he thinks. I’m sure he wants to go on to his title. He wants to fight Sean Strickland and avenge that loss. But, he didn’t win that fight. That last sequence was me vs. Nassourdine vs. Jason Herzog. Jason Herzog got the finish in that fight, not Nassourdine,” Cannonier continued. “So if he wants to get that finish, he wants to be the one to say he finished ‘The Killa Gorilla’ and actually finish me. Then let’s do that rematch in Paris. I’ll go to your backyard and we can make it happen again.”
Do you want to see Jared Cannonier get an immediate rematch with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris on Sep. 3?
