UFC Fight Night Louisville Preview: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Following a trip to New Jersey for UFC 302 last weekend, the UFC heads to Louisville, KY for a UFC Fight Night event that will go down at the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday night.

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The Main Event

UFC Fight Night Louisville Preview: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov — Feb 12, 2022; Houston, Texas, UNITED STATES; Jared Cannonier (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Derek Brunson (Blue Gloves) during UFC 271 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports | Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The main event for UFC Louisville will see #4-ranked Jared Cannonier try to make his case for another middleweight title shot when he takes on #7-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.

His power is SCARY 😮‍💨

Tha Killa Gorilla is coming for his 3rd consecutive W Saturday night! #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/EgpwDmlVeX
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2024

“The Killa Gorrilla” has collected two victories since he came up short in a middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276. That run includes a split-decision win over former champion Sean Strickland, but if Cannonier wants to fight for a UFC belt again he’ll need to get past Imavov after “Russian Sniper” picked up the biggest win of his career against Roman Dolidze in February.

His standup is always ready to go 👊@Imavov1 is ready to put his striking skills on full display Saturday night! #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/fPrwdhmlZY
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2024

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The Co-Main Event

The card’s co-main event is a huge light heavyweight bout between former title challenger Dominick Reyes and the hard-hitting Dustin Jacoby.

Will @TheHanyakDJ add another first round KO to the resume? 🤔

Don't miss him in the co-main event Saturday night! #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/aQtBKM3sJq
— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2024

A former kickboxer, Jacoby went unbeaten through his first seven UFC bouts but is now 1-3 across his last four fights. The 36-year-old will look to get back on track when he faces Reyes, who is currently on a four-fight losing streak that began with a controversial split-decision loss to Jon Jones in their light heavyweight title bout at UFC 247.

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Fights You Don’t Want To Miss

Daniel Marcos vs. John Castañeda

Fans know that men’s bantamweight is arguably the most entertaining division in the UFC as well as MMA as a whole, and this matchup shows just how deep the weight class is. Marcos is coming off a disappointing No Contest in his last fight with Aoriqileng, but the Peruvian still boasts an undefeated record that Castañeda will be eager to sully after he collected back-to-back wins last year.

Thiago Moisés vs. Ľudovít Klein

Moisés has already shared the Octagon with some of the lightweight division’s biggest names, while Klein is in the best form of his UFC tenure thanks to an unbeaten run of five fights. This is an important matchup that will see the winner move closer towards the lightweight Top 15, and stylistically it’s going to be intriguing to see which man can bring the fight to their preferred area.

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Fighters To Watch

Dominick Reyes

Fans haven’t seen Reyes enter the Octagon since late 2022, and that matchup with Ryan Spann at UFC 281 saw the former light heavyweight title challenger suffer his fourth loss in a row. Reyes has also been knocked out in all three appearances after he nearly took Jon Jones’ title at UFC 247, and this co-main event fight with Jacoby is an important opportunity for the 34-year-old to prove he's still an elite light heavyweight.

Raul Rosas Jr.

Whether fairly or unfairly, Rosas’ age and the promotional push the UFC have given him mean that fans have come to expect quite a lot from the 19-year-old. It was a surprise when “El Niño Problema” fell ill during UFC Mexico City and was unable to fight Ricky Turcios, but if Rosas can put in a good performance in Louisville and secure back-to-back wins that mishap will quickly be forgotten.

Miguel Baeza

Baeza established himself as a welterweight worth watching when he scored three-straight stoppage wins after earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, but he’s now on a three-fight skid that includes back-to-back knockout losses. The 31-year-old hasn’t stepped into the Octagon in more than two years, and now he’ll return to face an opponent in that may be fighting for his job in Punahele Soriano after the Hawaiian has gone 1-4 through his last five fights.

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MMA Knockout will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Louisville all throughout fight week, so be sure to check back on our home page for everything from pre-fight predictions to live results and highlights from all the action on fight night.

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 8:00 p.m. ET)

• Main Event: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov
• Co-Main Event: Dominick Reyes vs. Dustin Jacoby
• Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios
• Brunno Ferreira vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• Julian Marquez vs. Zachary Reese
• Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 5:00 p.m. ET)

• Thiago Moisés vs. Ľudovít Klein
• Charles Radtke vs. Carlos Prates
• Andrea Lee vs. Monatan De La Rosa
• Brad Katona vs. Jesse Butler
• John Castañeda vs. Daniel Marcos
• Eduarda Moura vs. Denise Gomes
• Cody Stamann vs. Taylor Lapilus
• Rayanne dos Santos vs. Puja Tomar

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