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The UFC visited Louisville, Kentucky last night for its latest Fight Night event. Despite a lack of star power, the event delivered plenty of great fights and fun moments.
So what is next for the big winners - and losers - at UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov?
As per usual, the matchmakers have plenty of options, and in a couple of instances, their hands might be forced.
Here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov.
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#5 UFC welterweight bout: Carlos Prates vs. Niko Price
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One fighter who truly shone at last night's event was Carlos Prates. The Brazilian welterweight prospect violently stopped Charlie Radtke with a knee to the body in the first round, picking up his second UFC win and extending his overall winning run to nine.
An explosive striker with nasty finishing power, it appears that 'Carlao', who later celebrated his win with a cigarette and labeled himself a fighter, not an athlete, has serious talent.
Prates probably isn't ready for a top fifteen-ranked foe yet, but one opponent who could be perfect for him is Niko Price.
'The Hybrid' was able to beat fellow action man Alex Morono earlier this month. More to the point, he's a reckless, aggressive fighter whose style would mesh perfectly with the explosive style of 'Carlao'.
If Prates could keep up his winning run against Price, then the top fifteen may well beckon. Even if that didn't happen, this would be a hell of a fight to watch regardless.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Brunno Ferreira vs. Paul Craig
The flashiest win at last night's event came courtesy of middleweight Brunno Ferreira. He came out on top in a wild fight against Dustin Stoltzfus, finally putting his foe away in the final seconds of the first round with a spinning back elbow.
'The Hulk' has now won all but one of his 14 career bouts, including three in the UFC, and has never gone the distance.
Judging by his fight with Stoltzfus, he's a little too wild to be considered a contender just yet, but he's definitely a genuine danger to anyone he faces.
A good fight for him, then, could be against Scottish veteran Paul Craig. 'The Bearjew' is an underrated striker and an extremely dangerous grappler. However, he's also proven to be susceptible to the kind of wild, explosive power possessed by Ferreira.
If the Brazilian could smash his way past the Scotsman, it'd be hard not to take him seriously. After his great showing last night, this kind of fight is the opportunity he's earned.
#3 UFC bantamweight bout: Raul Rosas Jr vs. Da'Mon Blackshear
Teenage sensation Raul Rosas Jr was probably the most impressive fighter on offer at last night's event. Despite still only being 19 years old, 'El Nino Problema' extended his octagon record to 3-1 with a tapout win over Ricky Turcios.
'Pretty Ricky' pushed the prospect quite hard with an aggressive first round, and came close to a rear naked choke of his own at one point.
However, once Rosas Jr got a body triangle sunk in the second round following a scramble, the fight was all but over, and sure enough, the choke came moments later.
Despite his massive talent, it's clear that the UFC must be careful in matching the youngster. It'd be very tempting to push him up the ladder after this win, but realistically, he has all the time in the world to reach the top.
Therefore, a fair test for him might be the explosive Da'Mon Blackshear. 'Da Monster' is 2-2-1 in the octagon, and has plenty of finishing skills both standing and on the ground.
However, he'd be at a slight technical disadvantage against Rosas Jr, and it'd be up to 'El Nino Problema' to find a way to put that technique to the best use to beat him.
If the youngster were to lose to Blackshear, he'd still have time to bounce back, while if he could win, he'd pick up an impressive and important win. Overall, this would be a piece of solid matchmaking.
#2 UFC light-heavyweight bout: Dominick Reyes vs. Alonzo Menifield
After suffering four losses in a row, Dominick Reyes needed to produce something special to reignite his UFC career last night, and thankfully for 'The Devastator', he did just that.
Reyes looked excellent in his brief fight with Dustin Jacoby, using the kickboxer's aggression against him to land a salvo of counter strikes, earning a first round stoppage in the process.
Remarkably, it was the former light-heavyweight title challenger's first win since his knockout of Chris Weidman way back in October 2019.
Reyes isn't back in contention just yet, of course, but at the age of 34, he's still got time to work his way back up to the top ten if he can get into the groove again.
Therefore, a good fight for him to take next could be with Alonzo Menifield. 'Atomic' is a dangerous striker, but he's also limited and tends to overreach himself, something that led to his recent loss to Carlos Ulberg.
However, he's also ranked above Reyes right now at No.13, and so a victory over him would be an important one for 'The Devastator'.
If Reyes is really back, Menifield is the kind of foe he ought to be able to beat. Based on his showing last night, it's worth giving him a chance to find out whether or not this is the case.
#1 UFC middleweight bout: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Unfortunately for everyone involved, last night's headline bout ended in controversy. After battling for three close rounds, the middleweight tilt between Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov came to an end in the fourth round.
However, while Imavov had his hand raised, it could be argued that 'The Sniper' did not really win, per say.
Instead, while he did have Cannonier rocked after a flurry of clean punches, referee Jason Herzog stepped in far too early, not allowing 'The Killa Gorilla' a chance to fight back.
Would Imavov have won the bout anyway? Realistically, even if Cannonier had recovered, he'd probably have needed a superhuman effort to either stop his foe in the fifth or win the round in a big way.
That shouldn't matter, though, as Herzog essentially robbed him of that chance.
With that in mind, the best route for the UFC to go would be to book an immediate rematch. It might anger Imavov, who called out Sean Strickland after the fight, but it'd only be fair to Cannonier, who has been a reliable veteran for the promotion for years.
With any luck, this fight could be put together before the end of 2024, and we'd finally be able to see the score between the two men settled - preferably over five rounds again.
