"He was robbed here" - Ariel Helwani, Jamahal Hill, and others slam referee Jason Herzog for "horrible stoppage" in UFC Louisville main event

The MMA community was displeased with referee Jason Herzog's decision to stop the UFC Louisville main event showdown between Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov. Herzog is one of the most respected MMA referees and has accrued a lot of praise for his officiating. However, his recent decision was not received well.

Cannonier vs. Imavov turned out to be a relatively even contest for the first three rounds. While Cannonier gave different looks to Imavov and constantly fought at different levels, the French fighter started figuring out the range as the fight progressed.

A clean check right hook from Imavov hurt Cannonier in Round 4. As the 40-year-old tried to move away and survive, Imavov followed him while landing damaging shots. Although Cannonier was on wobbly feet, he appeared to be trying to defend himself as Herzog stepped in to wave off the fight. Imavov was declared the winner by TKO and Cannonier protested the outcome.

While Imavov was convincingly moving toward a finish, a large section of the MMA community felt that the stoppage was premature as many fighters have survived similar scenarios.

Prominent MMA fighters and media personalities shared their thoughts on the stoppage. Ariel Helwani, while acknowledging Herzog as a "typically solid" referee, wrote on X:

"I mean, this is really awful. Watching live, I thought Cannonier lost a mouthpiece or something. He was robbed here. I’d love to understand why Herzog, who is typically solid, made this call. One of the worst in recent memory."

Former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill echoed a similar sentiment:

"Horrible stoppage!!!!"

However, UFC middleweight Chris Curtis had a different take:

"Eh, I'm OK with the stoppage. Sucks for Cannonier, but the Frenchman landed a beautiful counter, and he looked hurt. Didn't seem to recover well in the time given. Fair play and good shot to @imavov1. Solid performance against a giant of a competitor. #UFCLouisville"

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions to Nassourdine Imavov's win