Jon Anik backs referee Jason Herzog's main event stoppage at UFC Louisville, says Jared Cannonier would've been "knocked out" 

Referee Jason Herzog has been the target of a lot of criticism for abruptly stopping the contest between Nassourdine Imavov and Jared Cannonier at UFC Louisville. However, UFC commentator Jon Anik believes that Herzog made the right decision by ending the bout.

The main event of UFC Louisville featured a middleweight clash between Imavov and Cannonier, which took place last Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

For the first three rounds, Cannonier and Imavov's matchup was quite evenly matched. However, in the fourth round, Imavov struck Cannonier with a clean right hook and chased down the 40-year-old, landing some devastating shots. Cannonier appeared to be defending himself but was wobbly on his feet. This caused the referee to intervene and call off the bout.

Check out the post below:

Cannonier objected to the decision. This immediately infuriated the crowd, who started jeering the referee. While Imavov was headed toward a finish, a sizable segment of the MMA community thought his stoppage was premature.

Well-known MMA competitors and media personalities expressed their thoughts on the stoppage. Anik was among many who believed Herzog was correct to call the fight off. He stated this in a recent episode of The Anik and Florian podcast:

''I was a little bit surprised to see Jason Herzog intervene here, but referees are always going to be criticized when they stop fights early on the front end of the potentially concussive damage. … Jason, if any referee deserves the benefit of the doubt, it is him. If you’re asking me, do I think the stoppage was premature, I do, but I think the result would’ve been a concussion for Jared Cannonier, who had been drunk driving 30 seconds previously, and I just feel like he would’ve been knocked out.”

Check out Jon Anik's comments below (9:53):

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Referee Jason Herzog responds to the intense criticism over Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov stoppage

Last weekend at UFC Louisville, middleweight contender Jared Cannonier's run of success was cut short when he suffered an unexpected setback to Nassourdine Imavov. Cannonier would have won his third consecutive fight and returned to the title picture with a victory over Imavov.

Nevertheless, Imavov had a different idea, as he defeated the American early in the fourth round. Cannonier appeared injured by Imavov's huge right hand, yet he was furious at the early stoppage.

In reaction to everyone's criticism, referee Jason Herzog posted on X, writing:

''I get it. I know what I was seeing in the moment, but I've gotten enough feedback telling me I need to reevaluate, so I will.''