The UFC’s middleweight division has seen a ranking shake-up after Nassourdine Imavov’s controversial victory over Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Louisville. The fight was a closely contested affair for 3 rounds but in the fourth, Imavov put ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ on skates with a hard shot that visibly affected him.

But despite Cannonier’s attempts to cover up and fire back, referee Jason Herzog called a stop to the contest, handing ‘The Sniper’ the win in a move that has caused a lot of controversy in the MMA world. Veteran MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani had stated on a post on X, “He was robbed here. I’d love to understand why Herzog, who is typically solid, made this call.” Nevertheless, with the win now secured, Imavov has found himself in the Top 5 of the 185 lbs division, putting other contenders like Khamzat Chimaev on notice!

Nassourdine Imavov’s latest ranking bump may cause concerns for Khamzat Chimaev

According to a post shared on X by John Morgan, “Imavov Nassourdine (@imavov1) moves up three spots to No. 4 in the latest #UFC middleweight rankings following his #UFCLouisville victory, moving just ahead of the man he beat, Jared Cannonier, who falls to No. 5.”

Prior to this fight, Imavov was ranked number 7 in the middleweight division, and as mentioned above, Cannonier held the number 4 spot. As such, Imavov is now poised to make a run at the top of the division which is concerning for Khamzat Chimaev as he’s scheduled to take on Robert Whittaker for a #1 contender clash at the upcoming UFC event in Saudi Arabia on June 22.

In another ranking shake-up, also shared by Morgan on X, Dominick Reyes, who snapped a 4-fight losing streak with his win over Dustin Jacoby at UFC Louisville, now finds himself in the number 13 spot in the light heavyweight division.

Reyes had pushed former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, to the limit in their title clash at UFC 247 in 2020, despite ultimately losing the fight via a decision. But with this win now secured and a ranking bump, fans will be hoping to see ‘The Devastator’ return to his previous form and make another run at the belt currently held by Alex Pereira. As for Jared Cannonier, with Imavov now taking over his spot in the rankings, he has come out to reveal his thoughts on the controversial stoppage and his plans for the future!

‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ “doesn’t feel like” he lost the fight against Imavov

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, following his heartbreaking loss against Nassourdine Imavov, Jared Cannonier has expressed his interest in a rematch against ‘The Sniper’ and also shared his thoughts on the controversial stoppage.

He stated, “It doesn’t feel like I lost the fight, it feels like it was taken from me. Gut-wrenching is an understatement”. Cannonier was leading on 2 of the judge’s scorecards before the abrupt ending to the fight and as such, he lost out on not just a bump in the rankings but half of his pay as he revealed his contract is still structured around the show/win terms.

However, Cannonier further stated, “As far as compensation, I want to petition for a rematch. The UFC is going to Paris in September, I would love to go to Nassourdine’s backyard and make that right.” In conclusion, it remains to be seen how the future of this new rivalry unfolds in the middleweight division as the rankings shakeup has also put other top contenders on notice.

Do you think the UFC should make the rematch in light of the controversial ending? Let us know in the comments below!