Jared Cannonier sounds off on controversial stoppage at UFC Louisville: “It was stolen from me!”

Jared Cannonier is sounding off on the controversial stoppage at UFC Louisville.

It was just this past Saturday, June 8th that saw Jared Cannonier (17-7 MMA) go up against Nassourdine Imavov (14-4 MMA) in a middleweight bout. The result was a TKO victory for the Frenchman at 1:34 of Round 4.

Imavov came into the fight ranked at No. 7, and Cannonier was at No. 4.

The overwhelming reaction to the fight stoppage by referee Jason Herzog was disbelief. Several fighters and members of MMA media took to social media to voice their displeasure with the call.

Journalist Ariel Helwani was very vocal about the call this past weekend taking to ‘X‘ saying:

“I mean, this is really awful. Watching live, I thought Cannonier lost a mouthpiece or something. He was robbed here. I’d love to understand why Herzog, who is typically solid, made this call. One of the worst in recent memory.”

Speaking on ‘The MMA Hour’ earlier today, Jared Cannonier voiced his concerns about the stoppage with Ariel Helwani:

“Well, you know when it happened it was gut wrenching to say the least, it definitely took some time to collect myself. I had to go back and re-watch the fight and really relive the whole thing all over again and it was really gut wrenching. It feels like the opportunity to do great things was pretty much stollen from me in that moment. It doesn’t feel like I lost the fight, it feels like it was taken from me. Gut wrenching is an understatement.”

Continuing ‘The Killa Gorilla’ shared his thoughts on the final sequence:

“When I watch that final sequence, when he’s hitting me with the shot, it was a good shot, and it definitely took my equilibrium away. But I was definitely in recovery mode, I had my wits about me, I was able to create some distance and then turn and face my opponent. I was still there, my hands were up, I even threw a clean counter strike, and then I put my hands right back up to defend what’s coming next and that’s when the ref stepped in. And that was the worst time for him to step in. I’m competently defending myself.”

Concluding, speaking about reviewing the fight, Jared Cannonier said:

“So, it was frustrating as hell to go back and watch it. I was definitely winning that fight up until that point. It’s just frustrating, gut wrenching. It was a highly competitive fight.”

“It could have been a fight of the night, it could have been a bonus for me.”

Cannonier, was obviously very disappointed and frustrated with the outcome.  As far as what will make it right, Cannonier believes the UFC brass and other fighters and fans believe the stoppage call was in error. To make it right, Cannonier wants a rematch, and he’s ready to go to Paris to get it.

Were you watching last Saturday night? Do you agree that the fight stoppage between Cannonier and Imavov was a huge error?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!