UFC on ESPN+ 18 results: Jared Cannonier stops Jack Hermansson, stakes claim in title conversation

Jared Cannonier made his entry into the thick of middleweight title talks on Saturday with his second-round finish of Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hermansson stormed across the cage at the opening bell, opening with punches and kicks, trying to set up the takedown. Cannonier stuffed him on his first attempt, but Hermansson eventually secured a takedown and landed with back control.

Cannonier eventually scrambled out and to his feet, where he settled into a groove, fending off Hermansson’s takedown attempts and landing some hard lead leg kicks and heavy punches.

Round two began with Hermansson again shooting for the takedown, but he ate a brutal uppercut on the way in, immediately crashing to the canvas. Falling to his back, Hermansson covered up, as Cannonier dropped punch after punch until the referee stepped in and waved off the fight 27 seconds into the round.

Though he was only ranked No. 9 coming into the fight, Cannonier defeated the No. 5 middleweight fighter in Hermansson. He is on a three-fight winning streak since moving to the 185-pound division, believing he is ready for a title shot.

“I want to thank Jack for taking this fight. He was actually fighting down in the rankings, it was a huge risk for him. He took it to me. He went for his shots like he said he was gonna do. It was an honor to be in here. I want to thank him for making me a better fighter, a better man,” Cannonier said in the Octagon.

“I don’t use my mouth to let people know how I fight. Eventually, it’s gonna be for the belt. It might as well be next.”

Danish fighter and Olympic Silver Medalist Mark Madsen made a lasting impression in his Octagon debut. He wasted no time getting Danilo Belluardo to the canvas, where he unloaded with elbows and punches, finishing his first UFC fight in just 72 seconds in front of his home country crowd.

“The Hulk” lived up to his destructive moniker, as Ion Cutelaba scored the thirteenth first-round finish of his career. Twelve of those finishes have come by way of knockout, as did his 2:35 finish of Khalil Rountree Jr. in Copenhagen.

Ovince Saint Preux made his case for having a submission hold renamed. He survived an early onslaught from Michal Oleksiejczuk to finish him with a Von Flue choke midway through the third round of their main card bout.

The victory marked Saint Preux’s fourth time ending a fight with the Von Flue choke, more than any other fighter in UFC history. Perhaps it’s time to rename the hold the Saint Preux choke.

John Phillips capped off the UFC on ESPN+ 18 prelims with a blistering 17-second knockout of Alen Amedovski. Most of the prelims went to the scorecards, but Phillips didn’t allow that to happen, firing away from the starting bell, and quickly laying Amedovski out cold.

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UFC on ESPN+ 18: Hermansson vs. Cannonier results

Main Card

• Jared Cannonier def. Jack Hermansson via TKO (punches) at 0:27, R2

• Mark Madsen def. Danilo Belluardo via TKO (punches and elbows) at 1:12, R1

• Gilbert Burns def. Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Ion Cutelaba def. Khalil Rountree via TKO (elbows and punches) at 2:35, R1

• Ovince Saint Preux def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via submission (Von Flue choke) at 2:46, R3

• Nicolas Dalby def. Alex Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Prelims

• John Phillips def. Alen Amedovski via knockout (punches) at 0:17, R1

• Makhmud Muradov def. Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Ismail Naurdiev def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)

• Brandon Davis vs. Giga Chikadze ruled a split draw (28-29, 29-28, 29-29)

• Lina Lansberg def. Macy Chiasson via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)

• Marc Diakiese def. Lando Vanatta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

• Jack Shore def. Nohelin Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:51, R3