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Following a decision-heavy preliminary card slate, there was an explosion of action on the main card.
While things kicked off with another trip to the scorecards, Punahele Soriano dominated the final two frames of his welterweight debut before the stoppages started raining down in abundance. Middleweights Zachary Reese and Brunno Ferreira battered their way to consecutive first-round finishes before bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. collected his second straight stoppage victory and third win in the UFC.
From there, former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes ended a four-year, four-fight losing skid with a first-round stoppage win over Top 15 fixture Dustin Jacoby before Nassourdine Imavov announced his presence as a contender in the middleweight division with a fourth-round stoppage win over former title challenger Jared Cannonier.
It was an entertaining night of fights in “The Derby City” and we have all the details on what transpired for you below. | Official Scorecards | Prelim Results
Punahele Soriano made a successful transition to the welterweight ranks, dominating Miguel Baeza and registering a unanimous decision win while snapping a two-fight slide in his first appearance in the 170-pound ranks.
The duo spent much of the opening round engaged in a chess match on the canvas, with Baeza chasing leg locks and heel hooks and Soriano piling up punishment with his fists. It was one-way traffic in the second, as Soriano quickly put Baeza on the canvas and kept chipping away, replicating the approach in the third.
While he wasn’t able to secure the finish, Soriano looked sharp in his maiden voyage in the welterweight division. As he continues to settle into his new surroundings, it’ll be interesting to see if he can dredge up some of the pop that punctuated his wins at middleweight. | Official Scorecards
Zachary Reese wasted little time getting his first UFC victory on Saturday, stopping Julian Marquez in a matter of seconds.
As soon as the two men had touched gloves to start the contest, Marquez landed an inside low kick and Reese responded with a thudding kick to the midsection, chasing the returning middleweight to the fence and connecting with an uppercut that sent Marquez crashing backwards to the canvas. The follow-up blows came quickly and referee Dan Miragliotta was forced to step in.
After getting knocked out in his promotional debut back in December, Reese bounced back here in impressive fashion. He’s still yet to make it out of the first round in his professional career and is an all-action addition to the middleweight ranks. | Official Scorecards
“The Hulk” eventually smashed in the home of the Louisville Slugger.
Brunno Ferreira continued his run of never going to the scorecards by stopping Dustin Stoltzfus in the waning moments of the first in their chaotic middleweight encounter. Stoltzfus had moments where he appeared to have Ferreira hurt and retreating in the back-and-forth battle, but a big shot with a minute left in the frame kicked off a non-stop barrage from the Brazilian that forced referee Jason Herzog to step in and halt the action.
Ferreira has now earned consecutive first-round stoppage wins and three such victories in four UFC appearances. The Dana White’s Contender Series grad is quickly becoming must-see TV in the 185-pound weight class. | Official Scorecards
Add another finish to the result sheet for Raul Rosas Jr. as the 19-year-old tapped out TUF winner Ricky Turcios on Saturday night in Louisville.
The opening round between these two felt like a non-stop scramble, as Rosas Jr. looked to grapple and Turcios was game to trade attacks and counters with his young opponent, threatening with a rear-naked choke and getting the better of things through the first five minutes. Rosas Jr. was back on the attack in the second and after Turcios tried to Granby roll to safety, the young Contender Series grad took his back, attacked the choke, and squeezed out the tap just before the midway point of the fight.
That’s now three finishes in four UFC appearances for the highly regarded prospect, who has won consecutive outings since suffering the first loss of his career early last year. | Official Scorecards
Dominick Reyes is back in the win column! The former light heavyweight title challenger scored a first-round stoppage win over Dustin Jacoby, collecting his first victory since his 2019 finish of Chris Weidman that set up his championship fight with Jon Jones.
The two men measured one another in the opening moments of the round, but right when it seemed like Jacoby was starting to turn up the pressure, Reyes connected with a shot that scrambled the veteran’s circuits. He quickly cranked up the output and collected the stoppage, exploding with emotion when the referee stepped in.
After four consecutive losses, this one has got to feel incredible for the 34-year-old Reyes, who was understandably overcome with emotion in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. | Official Scorecards
The middleweight division has a new contender and his name is Nassourdine Imavov.
After a trio of competitive rounds to begin the main event, Imavov rocked Jared Cannonier and looked to chase down a finish early in the fourth. As Imavov continued to attack and the former title challenger stumbled into open space, referee Jason Herzog stepped in to halt the action, prompting Cannonier to protest the stoppage right away.
This is a tough way for Imavov to register the biggest win of his career, but it’s an excellent showing regardless of how the bout was halted. The 29-year-old had a frustrating year in 2023, but has now registered a pair of wins over Top 10 talents already this year, vaulting himself into the title conversation in the 185-pound weight class with his performance on Saturday night. | Official Scorecards
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov took place live from KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky on June 8, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!