UFC Fight Night Louisville Odds, Prediction: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Cannonier has been idle for almost a year, since claiming a five-round unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 75 that marked his second straight win and fourth in five fights. Imavov eked out a majority decision in his five-round tilt with Roman Dolidze back in February at UFC Vegas 85 and is now undefeated in four career fights as a middleweight.

Pegged at No. 7 on the UFC middleweight rankings, Imavov has emerged as a slim -120 favourite on the UFC Louisville odds ahead of Saturday’s clash at KFC Yum! Center. Fourth-rank Cannonier trails as a +100 underdog, while the odds of Saturday’s main even going a full five rounds sit at -135.

Jared Cannonier UFC Louisville Odds

While Cannonier has been idle since last June due to injury, he makes his return to the octagon sporting plenty of experience in five-round contests. In fact, the “Killa Gorilla” has seen four of his past five fights go a full five rounds, with his lone defeat over that stretch coming by unanimous decision in his bid to take the UFC middleweight strap from Israel Adesanya at UFC 276. With five of his past six fights getting settled by the judges, the 40-year-old American has consistently proven his durability. However, Cannonier’s striking ability should not be underestimated. The Dallas native has seen 10 of his 17 career wins come by KO or TKO, and sits among the active leaders in the UFC middleweight division with 5.21 significant strikes landed per minute. However, it is difficult to tell just how much an impact Cannonier’s recent long layoff will impact him considering how active he had been, with his last fight marking his fourth appearance in less than 16 months.

Nassourdine Imavov UFC Louisville Odds

After testing the waters as a light heavyweight in a five-round unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 67, Imavov made a long-awaited return to middleweight with a no-contest in a UFC 289 date with Chris Curtis followed by his recent victory over Dolidze. “The Sniper” was forced to settle for a majority decision in his date with Dolidze after having a point deducted for an illegal kick. Indeed, Imavov otherwise put on a clinic in his last outing, outstriking Doldze by a wide 112-34 margin, cementing his position as one of the division’s top strikers and as the leader current defender among UFC middleweights with a 66 per cent strike defence. However, the 29-year-old Russian is also an accomplished grappler with four wins by submission to his credit while stuffing 80 per cent of takedown attempts.

UFC Louisville Prediction: Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov

The long layoff has done little to buoy Cannonier on the UFC Louisville odds, but the wily veteran remains a formidable opponent that can go deep into championship rounds. The question is whether there is enough in the tank for the 40-year-old to go toe-to-toe with the much younger Imavov in a battle that is likely to develop into a slugfest, at least early on.

Prediction: Cannonier by decision (+225)