Prediction for the fight Nassurdin Imavov vs Jared Cannonier

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier, after a year-long absence, will fight top-ranked prospect Nassurdin Imavov on June 9 at UFC on ESPN 57. Their bout will headline the fight night in Louisville, with Imavov looking to take away the veteran such an important position in the Top 5 category up to 84 kilograms. The fight will be difficult for both, and our task is to decide which of them has a greater chance of leaving the arena as a winner.

• Nassurdin Imavov vs Jared Cannonier;
• Nassurdin Imavov;
• Jared Cannonier;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Nassurdin Imavov vs Jared Cannonier

Nassurdin Imavov

After the extreme victory, Nassourdin rose to 8th place in the ranking. The Parisian trains in the well-known MMA Factory team, although he started with boxing, and then completely switched to mixed martial arts, and still prefers stand-up, even though he is also doing quite well on the ground. In the past, Imavov became the ThunderStrike FL champion when he competed in the welterweight division.

Strengths

Nassourdin’s strong point is working from a distance, constantly moving and using a sting in the form of a jab and body blows. He has a lot to learn in takedowns, but by pulling his opponent to the ground away from the net, he performs well in ground and pound and submission moves. However, it is much more important that, despite his age, Imavov is a thinking fighter who never forces events where this may increase risks.

Weaknesses

The fighter definitely lacks experience in fighting with real tops, because even in his element, the assertive and fast Strickland was able to break Nassourdin’s defense, and even take his breath away. The low percentage of successful takedowns did not allow him to take the fight to the ground, however, even here, over his shortcomings, the athlete is doing good work, demonstrating progress.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Imavov is 29 years old, and after an unsuccessful fight with Chris Curtis, where they butted heads, he defeated Roman Dolidze, thanks to which he seriously advanced in the rankings. Before that, there was a defeat to the previously mentioned Strickland, and a series of victories over Buckley, Shahbazyan and Heinisch. Good coaching and conditioning allow Nassourdin to progress, because from fight to fight he looks better and better.

Jared Cannonier

“Killa Gorilla” is number four in the rating table. In the past, Jared was a champion in the Alaska Fighting Championship, received the status of a contender for the UFC belt in a fight with Israel Adesanya, and at this point in time also has a brown belt in BJJ. Not everyone remembers that Cannonier previously fought in the heavy and light heavyweight divisions, but it was at 84 kg that he became the most successful and has never lost by knockout.

Strengths

Many of Jared's advantages would be lost if not for his physical characteristics - he is incredibly strong, quickly recovers from damage, and takes a hit well. The fighter himself is very powerful, has a knockout punch, is good as a striker (since he successfully uses his legs), and his endurance is quite good. Moreover, in his last performance, the American proved that he was experiencing a second youth and was ready to work all 5 rounds.

Weaknesses

Of course, wrestling matches are not for this guy. He can tie up an opponent on the ground and prevent him from causing significant damage, but under no circumstances will he confidently counterattack or force a ground attack. We add here a downtime of a year and a considerable age, as a result we get a number of reasons to doubt whether the last time (the fight with Vettori) was his ceiling before a rapid dive?

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The fighter is 40 years old, in the last 6 fights he lost only to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya, defeating Brunson, Strickland and Marvin Vettori. You can talk as much as you like about the fact that miracles don’t happen at this age, but don’t be surprised if Jared outworks his younger counterpart and then takes control of the fight, thanks to his colossal experience of confrontations with the best UFC middleweights. Even taking into account the downtime, this person remains as dangerous as possible.

Comparative analysis

In terms of size, the situation here is interesting: Imavov is significantly taller - by 10 centimeters, but is inferior in arm span by almost 7 cm. Considering that both skillfully operate both at long and medium-short distances, this parameter will play into Cannonier’s hands. Actually, the fight itself is unlikely to be dynamic from the very first seconds, because both pay a lot of attention to reconnaissance in force.

There is hardly any need to talk about the fight: Nassourdin is not so good at translations to pass Jared’s defense, and even the one on the ground floor would hardly have offered anything other than control. No one has yet been able to submit the American, so there are few options for the development of events on earth. It is much more likely that it will be Cannonier who will seize space in the cage and periodically fight off Imavov’s attacks, getting stuck in the clinch.

In general terms, the fight has a good chance of entering the championship divisions, where the main role will no longer be played by technique, but by endurance. Cannonier has much more experience in protracted battles, and something tells me that working as Nassourdin’s number two will not allow him to prove himself in the first stages, and he will be forced to take risks by approaching after the equator. And there, he will be met by the enemy’s cast-iron head, which further reduces Imavov’s chances of success

Nassurdin Imavov vs Jared Cannonier Prediction

The main task for Nassourdin is not to get close to his counterpart, but to act all the rounds allotted to him from a distance. In this case, he can shoot his opponent, who will slightly reduce his ardor by the 4th round. Although, in essence, as a striker, Imavov does not cover up Jared’s strengths, plus he will be forced to defend against his powerful kicks. Both have a good jaw, a confident stance and a desire to win, so betting that the fight will drag on (Total over (3.5) in rounds) looks optimal here. Otherwise, Cannonier is a more than justified favorite. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Total over (3.5) in rounds completed/Jared Cannonier win