Jared Cannonier is pointing the finger at referee Jason Herzog for his UFC Louisville loss.
Within the middleweight well-known match of this previous Saturday’s card in Kentucky, Cannonier lost to Nassourdine Imavov by ability of a controversial fourth-spherical TKO when Herzog stepped in to wave off the bout as Cannonier defended himself from an Imavov flurry.
While Cannonier used to be visibly wobbled sooner than the stoppage, he would not possess he used to be in on the spot threat of being stopped and he used to be deeply upset by Herzog’s name.
“When it occurred, it used to be intestine-wrenching, to say the least,” Cannonier said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I surely took a while to amass myself, had to switch abet and rewatch the battle and truly relive the entire thing in each set again, and it used to be truly intestine-wrenching. It feels cherish the replacement to set gargantuan issues used to be slightly grand stolen from me in that second. It’s appropriate form one thing that, as fighters, we in finding or we lose after which we want to dwell with it, and it’s surely no longer stress-free, it doesn’t salvage any more straightforward each time.
“It doesn’t truly feel cherish I lost the battle. I appropriate form felt cherish it used to be taken from me, the replacement to persevere, which is one thing I’ve achieved in a quantity of my fights, and proceed on and take a look at out to salvage exact on the battle. Gut-wrenching is an underestimation.”
The loss used to be a disappointing blow to Cannonier, who used to be coming off consecutive wins over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland. Cannonier defeated Strickland in December 2022, however Strickland surprisingly went on to seize the middleweight title the following year; with that in finding on his résumé, Cannonier used to be in exact standing to area for a championship himself, however now sees himself bumped abet about a spots within the contenders’ line.
Cannonier used to be up on two of the judges’ scorecards heading in to Round 4, which makes the ending of the battle even more difficult to abdominal.
“When he hit me with the shot, it used to be a precise shot,” Cannonier said. “Positively took my equilibrium away, however I used to be surely in recovery mode. I had my wits about me, I used to be in a position to salvage some distance after which turn to face my opponent. Obviously, he did every little thing he used to be speculated to set. He stored the capability on and tried to mount a precise offense to take a witness at to enact the battle, however I used to be restful there. My fingers had been up, I used to be covering up most of these photos.
“Especially within the final sequence, I even threw a counter strike, a nice trim counter strike that I feel landed, after which I set apart my fingers correct abet up to shield for whatever used to be coming next and that’s when the ref stepped in. Positively completely the worst time for him to step in, correct after I throw a shot. I’m competently defending myself, my eyes are distinct, I’m taking a witness at my opponent, I’m creating standing, I’m appropriate form intelligently trying to salvage better from that sequence. … It’s nerve-racking as hell to switch abet and witness it each time. I’ve watched it, cherish, seven or eight instances. It’s nerve-racking as hell each time.
“I felt cherish I used to be surely worthwhile that battle up till that level,” he continued. “Nassourdine used to be surely getting some momentum in that battle, within the later moments within the battle, however restful at that second I used to be worthwhile the battle. … The replacement to persevere used to be appropriate form snatched away from me, no longer to level out the likelihood to salvage these two assessments. My second take a look at, my in finding bonus take a look at, and possible even that second would possibly even possess made it a Fight of the Night. Had the battle stored going, that second would possibly even possess made it a Fight of Night, so it is a long way going to also had been a doable performance bonus. I truly feel cherish the replacement used to be appropriate form taken away from me apart from Nassourdine, the replacement for him to possess a trim enact, a trim in finding, for him to switch in. As a change, we possess this controversy that we want to address.”
Cannonier entered the pivotal contest with so much on his thoughts. Two weeks sooner than the battle with Imavov, Cannonier’s wife suffered a miscarriage. As if that emotional blow wasn’t enough, Cannonier moreover experienced a clinical emergency throughout battle camp due to a extreme hypersensitive response.
The middleweight contender takes diminutive solace within the truth that so many other folks — from fans to peers to UFC workers — regarded to agree that he used to be robbed on Saturday night time.
“I feel [UFC officials are] all in agreement that it used to be a very unfriendly stoppage, cherish a unfriendly stoppage,” Cannonier said. “I feel the entire world is in agreement that that used to be the worst thing that will also possess occurred that night time, that battle ending the scheme it ended. So yes, they’re all in agreement.
“As a long way as any compensation, I don’t know, I would favor to petition for a rematch. The UFC is going to Paris in September. I would cherish to switch to Nassourdine’s yard and salvage that correct. He’ll possess the home discipline advantage, it received’t be of us chanting, ‘U.S.A.’, this would possibly occasionally be of us chanting ‘français’ or on the opposite hand they are saying France in French, however that’s what I would cherish in narrate to salvage that correct.”
Herzog is widely revered as one in every of the ideal referees within the game, however that doesn’t topic to Cannonier, who feels he used to be given a raw deal by the ragged authentic. He puzzled if Herzog got caught up within the second and made a rash resolution to discontinuance the contest.
“I don’t want to sit here and trash Jason Herzog, he’s one in every of the ideal referees within the game, however he surely made a gigantic mistake in this regard,” Cannonier said. “It used to be a gigantic mistake, a grave mistake, especially as a long way as I’m fervent. Again, I doubt they provide thought to this — that is my profession. My profession used to be slightly grand in his fingers and he determined that it ain’t worth combating for. However that is a battle.
“I feel all these refs want to esteem that we’re going to salvage hit. Most often we’re going to salvage rocked, however after we’re intelligently defending ourselves cherish they repeatedly advise, it is famous to step apart and let this thing happen. When there’s a transparent and concise residing off of you to step in, cherish my fingers are down and I’m appropriate form getting hit over and over — no longer my fingers are up and he’s hitting me on the guard and I’m swinging abet, that’s no longer the time to step in. I don’t know, perchance some emotional desensitization practicing desires available so they don’t salvage immense angry in these moments.”
The scheme Cannonier sees it, there’s simplest one scheme to salvage this correct: E book a straight away rematch with Imavov. And in accordance to the frustration he’s feeling correct now, ideally with out Herzog as the third man within the cage.
“It used to be a human error, I truly feel,” Cannonier said. “These items happen while you’re within the mix and it’s a high, intense second. It’s heart-broken, however it indubitably’s restful no excuse that I ought to restful want to dwell with it. So to salvage it correct, a rematch in Paris, I feel that will bring some more eyes to the battle, eyes to that card, this would possibly occasionally be exact for me. I don’t advise Nassourdine would agree, however I don’t care what he thinks. I’m distinct he desires to switch on to his title, he desires to battle Sean Strickland and avenge that loss, however he didn’t in finding that battle.
“That final sequence used to be me vs. Nassourdine vs. Jason Herzog, and Jason Herzog got the enact in that battle, no longer Nassourdine. So if he desires to salvage that enact, if he desires to be the one to say he carried out ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ and truly enact me, then let’s set that rematch in Paris. I’ll drag to your yard and we are in a position to salvage it happen. That’s what I would cherish to possess happen.”
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