UFC Louisville featured a packed night of 14 fights. Of the eight fights on the undercard, there was a just a single fight that ended with a finish. The main card however, delivered, with all six fights ending in finishes.
In the main event, top ranked middleweight Jared Cannonier lost a heartbreaking controversial TKO to Nassourdine Imavov, in a bout where he had a lot to lose and very little to gain.
Jared Cannonier
Jared’s controversial TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in the main event on Saturday snapped his two-fight win streak. The streak included wins over Marvin Vettori and former UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.
Best thing for Cannonier here would be to run it back immediately. The fight was close until the finish and if he were to fight Imavov again and win, Cannonier would be close to where he was in the title shot picture previously. It’s the fight that would make the most sense for Cannonier unless an opportunity to fight a higher ranked opponent arose. Whether the UFC is up for it remains to be seen, but neither man is next, or even second, in line for a title shot.
Cannonier’s next fight: Nassourdine Imavov
Dustin Jacoby
Dustin Jacoby was finished in the first round by a returning Dominick Reyes in what was a blisteringly paced fight, while it lasted. It was a rough loss for Jacoby as he has now lost four of his last five fights. It’s a far fall from Jacoby’s seven-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC between 2020-2022.
Jacoby should next fight Ryan Spann, who last fought in April, when he was finished by Bogdan Guskov. Spann’s last win was over Dominick Reyes in 2022 and he has since lost three in a row. Winner of the fight could potentially be look at fighting for a fringe ranking slot in the following fight.
Jacoby’s next fight: Ryan Spann
Ricky Turcios
Raul Rosas Jr. submitted Ricky Turcios in the people’s main event of UFC Louisville. The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner has gone 1-2 in the UFC since his TUF tournament victory over Brady Hiestand in 2021.
Turcios’ next fight should come against Cameron Saaiman. Cameron is a Contender Series 2022 alum, is 3-2 with the UFC and another young prospect at just 23 years old. Saaiman is on a two-fight skid having lost to Christan Rodriguez and most recently being finished by Payton Talbott. Fighting Saaiman would be an excellent way to measure both fighters and would carry some weight just like Ricky’s fight against Raul Rosas Jr.
Turcios’s next fight: Cameron Saaiman
Dustin Stoltzfus
Dustin Stoltzfus was TKO’d in the final seconds of the first round in a wild scrap against Brunno Ferreira on Saturday.
Stoltzfus is now 2-5 in the UFC and 2-2 in his last four. Dustin has had some pretty tough opponents in his time with the UFC thanks to his win over Joe Pyfer on the Contender Series.
Sedriques Dumas would be a good fight for him and makes a little bit more sense for Dustin than fighting Julian Maquez or Marquez fighting Dumas. Dumas is also a Contender Series product, 2-2 in the UFC and his last fight was a first-round loss to Nursulton Ruziboev in March.
Stoltzfus’s next fight: Sedriques Dumas
Julian Marquez
With the 20 second finish at the hands of Zach Reese on the main card of UFC Louisville, Julian Marquez has now been stopped three times in a row. Marquez’s last win in the UFC came in 2021 against Sam Alvey.
Julian Marquez should fight the winner of Denis Tiuliulin and Abu Azaitar who are scheduled to fight on June 22. Both fighters currently have only one win in the UFC and are on multiple fight losing streaks. Marquez needs a win badly and a fight against the winner of Tiuliulin vs. Azaitar would be a good opportunity to start to move back in the right direction.
Marquez’s next fight: Denis Tiuliulin vs. Abu Azaitar Winner
Miguel Baeza
Miguel Baeza lost a unanimous decision to Punahele Soriano to open the main card of UFC Louisville. Baeza has struggled recently and has now lost his last four fights in the UFC since starting off hot with three wins in a row. Baeza has had a tough strength of schedule, having shared the octagon with Matt Brown, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Khaos Williams and Andre Fialho.
Miguel needs a win, badly. Danny Roberts would be a solid matchup as Roberts is on a three-fight skid. Roberts has been out of action for nearly a year since a second-round finish loss opposite of Jonny Parsons, in July of last year. Roberts is still a name in the UFC, with a 7-7 record with the promotion. Great fight to evaluate where both fit into the UFC’s welterweight roster.
Baeza’s next fight: Danny Roberts
