Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Preview
Middleweights take centre stage at UFC Fight Night at the KFC! Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on June 8. Veteran Jared Cannonier is hunting for one last shot at gold at 185lbs. Young Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov is on his way up the middleweight rankings and looks to enter the top five with a win in Louisville.
A win for Cannonier would mark three straight victories against fighters ranked in the top ten. Imavov broke into the top ten following his win over Roman Dolidze in February and looks to become a top contender.
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Cannonier has entered his last two fights as an underdog according to the MMA odds, winning both. He has opened as an underdog once again ahead of Fight Night Louisville. However, at 40, the American has aged like fine wine.
The Killa Gorilla enters this fight with a clear experience advantage. First fighting in the promotion in 2015, he has spent most of his career in the UFC. The 40-year-old has 23 career fights with an impressive record of 17-6. His last victory came in June last year when he defeated former contender Marvin Vettori by a unanimous decision.
Cannonier’s dominating performance that night saw him break a record. The fourth-ranked middleweight brutalised the Italian, landing 241 significant strikes in the five-round fight. That is the most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC Middleweight division history. It was also the fourth most in UFC history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UiA23PQ8nM&pp=ygUUY2Fub25uaWVyIHZzIHZldHRvcmk%3D
Despite his age, Cannonier fights at a high level and has frequently outclassed younger opponents. Since cutting to 185lbs from Light Heavyweight in 2018, the former contender has not spent a day outside of the top 10.
Imavov still has a healthy number of fights in his career, despite giving up the experience to Cannonier. He has stepped into the octagon 18 times with a record of 13-4-1. ‘The Sniper’ is yet to reach the heights of his opponent though. He had a stop-start run in his last three fights with a loss, a no-contest, and a win. A victory on Saturday would be the biggest in his career.
Standing at 6’0” with a 77.5” reach, Cannonier has incredible punching power and ground and pound. His strong wrestling allows him to mix up his striking with grappling. We most recently saw this in his fight with Derek Brunson in 2022. With 30 seconds left of the second round, The Killa Gorilla unleashed a vicious elbow from the clinch to rock Brunson. Cannonier walked down the former NCAA All-American, landing combos to the body and head before throwing him down to the mat. From there, four nasty elbows from the top ended the fight to secure the tenth KO of his career.
Imavov stands at 6’3” with a reach of 75”. He carries great power in his hands and can mix up his striking with impressive kicks and knees. Imavov has two knockout victories since arriving in the UFC in 2020. Despite his height advantage, The Sniper must deal with a rangier opponent in Cannonier.
These two fighters share an opponent in common in the form of Sean Strickland. The difference in reach will prove a problem for the Frenchman as Strickland struggled with Cannonier’s range advantage. That helped the 40-year-old secure a razor-sharp split decision victory. However, when Strickland faced Imavov, he picked him apart over five rounds for a unanimous decision victory with two judges scoring it 49-47. Imavov will run into the same issues on Saturday.
Imavov last fought in February, scoring a unanimous victory over Roman Dolidze. He frequently got inside the pocket, landing vicious jabs and straights. The Sniper scored a knockdown in the first round and dominated the next four. He will take that game plan into this fight, looking to nullify Cannonier’s reach advantage.
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Prediction
Prediction: Cannonier to win by unanimous decision
Our MMA prediction is another unanimous decision victory for Cannonier. That means the fight will go the distance, so betting on a knockout is not worthwhile. Imavov will have no choice but to attack in this fight, playing into Cannonier’s strengths. The Killa Gorilla should have no trouble racking up a points victory this weekend.
Both fighters harbour great knockout power but cancel each other out with strong chins. Nobody has found a way to knock out Imavov in the octagon and Cannonier’s last TKO loss stretches back to 2018.
While Imavov has youth on his side, Cannonier has shown no signs of slowing down. He has beaten younger fighters in his previous two outings and will find his range quick to keep Imavov out of the pocket and set the pace. He will secure his timing and out-strike The Sniper.
Imavov’s best chance at victory will come from keeping Cannonier against the cage. He can tee off fast jabs and straights from close range. This was his path to victory in the Dolidze fight. However, using his reach advantage, Cannonier will avoid fighting in a phone box. Imavov will not get the opportunity to walk down his opponent as he did in his last fight. Instead, he must respect his opponent’s range and look for smart openings.
The Killa Gorilla has the advantage on the ground. He has attempted six takedowns (four completed) in his previous two contests compared to Imavov’s one. Imavov will attempt to keep this fight standing. However, this will prove tough as he tries to enter Cannonier’s range. The American enjoys taking down opponents in the clinch and utilising nasty elbows.
Cannonier has more experience in five-round fights. Four of his last five fights have been five-rounders that have gone the distance. In comparison, Imavov has only seen the fifth round twice in his career. That experience will prove all-important in the championship rounds.
He has also fought stronger opposition. The Killa Gorilla has not faced a fighter outside the top ten since 2019. He boasts wins over former challengers and champions such as Anderson Silva, Sean Strickland, and Kelvin Gastellum. Imavov only entered the top ten last year, and this is the biggest test of his career.
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Betting Picks
A bet on Jared Cannonier to win offers attractive odds at 21/20. He is the slight underdog, according to our online sportsbook. His underdog status is because it has almost been a year since his last UFC event. However, he has faced lengthier layoffs previously and returned to the octagon with convincing victories. We do not expect this break to be a problem for the American fighter.
Cannonier’s advantage on the ground is something we will probably see in the latter rounds. Imavov’s inexperience in five-round fights will see his stamina tested. This is where Cannonier can find success in the clinch for trips. Betting on Cannonier to score a takedown in the fourth and fifth rounds is a good option. He landed three across the championship rounds in his last fight.
We do not see this fight ending early. Imavov has a clean KO loss record and nobody has finished Cannonier at middleweight. A bet on the fight to go the distance rules out the risk of picking a winner. Alternatively, you can investigate over/under betting and wager on the fight lasting over 3.5 rounds. New customers can sign up using our welcome bonus to wager on this bout and receive up to €50 in free bets.
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Outcome
Imavov will have to wait patiently for openings in this fight. He pushed the pace in his last bout, but will not have that luxury here. Instead, he will have to respect the reach of Cannonier as the American comes forward. Imavov is a strong opponent, but Cannonier has experience against much stronger. Experience goes a long way in MMA. We expect this to carry him through the fight.
However, he must respect Imavov’s power. The Frenchman landed an early knockdown in his last fight, which allowed him to keep his opponent against the cage for five rounds. If The Killa Gorilla can keep his back off the cage, he can frustrate The Sniper. We expect him to claim another big victory as he bears down on another shot at the middleweight title.
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov full fight card
Main Card
- Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov; Middleweight
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Dominick Reyes; Light Heavyweight
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios; Bantamweight
- Brunno Ferreira vs. Dustin Stoltzfus; Middleweight
- Julian Marquez vs. Zach Reese; Middleweight
- Miguel Baeza vs. Puna Soriano; Welterweight
Preliminary Card
- Ludovit Klein vs. Thiago Moises; Lightweight
- Carlos Prates vs. Charlie Radtke; Welterweight
- Jesse Butler vs. Brad Katona; Bantamweight
- Montana De La Rosa vs. Andrea Lee; Women’s Flyweight
- John Castaneda vs. Daniel Marcos; Bantamweight
- Denise Gomes vs. Eduarda Moura; Women’s Strawweight
- Taylor Lapilus vs. Cody Stamann; Bantamweight
- Rayanne Amanda vs. Puja Tomar; Women’s Strawweight
