Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Prediction: Will the age difference or experience tell in this match?

The fight between Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov is the main event at UFC Fight Night. Jared is currently on a two-game winning streak, while Nassourdine is just coming off a decision win against Roman Dolidze in February. This bout will be a very interesting one filed with action. Fans can catch up live via ESPN. 

Jared has 9 knockout wins, 3 submissions, and 5 decision victories. He has lost six times in his career. Out of his six losses, two were knockouts and four were decision losses. He fought and won all his two bouts in the amateur division, both in 2011 against Isaac Taylor and Josh Aynes. His first seven professional bouts were a winning streak, which was later broken by Shawn Jordan with a knockout in round 1. Jared’s penultimate fight was a split decision victory against Sean Strickland, while his last fight was a unanimous decision win against Marvin Vettori. Jared Cannonier hopes to get his third win in a row against Nassourdine in Kentucky.

Nassourdine comes to the bout with a professional record of 13-4-0. Beginning his career with a loss in 2015, Nassourdine has recorded five knockout wins, four submission wins, and four decision wins. He has lost to Ayadi Majdeddine, Michal Michalski, Phil Hawes, and Sean Strickland, the last three being decision wins for Nassourdine’s opponents, while the first mentioned was a submission loss for Nassourdine. The longest winning streak Nassourdine has kept was a six-game winning streak from 2017 (Gary Formosa) to 2020 (Jordan Williams), being broken by Phil Hawes in 2023. Nassourdine still fought a few months ago when he won against Roman Dolidze through a unanimous decision.

Nassourdine has an age advantage of 28 compared to Jared, who is 40. Nassourdine has a height of 6’3” compared to Jared, who has a height measurement of 5’11”. Jared has more experience than Nassourdine. Jared started his professional career in 2011, while Nassourdine started his own in 2016. Jared has fought 24 bouts, while Nassourdine has fought 17 bouts. As a matter of fact, Jared ranks number 5 in the worldwide middleweight division, while Nassourdine ranks number 9. Jared also has a higher reach than Nassourdine. Jared has also won the number 1 MMA ranking, along with Sean Strickland, who won Nassourdine Imavov through unanimous decision as well. With these, I see the game ending with a decision, announcing Jared Cannonier the winner.