Marvin Vettori stepped into a short-notice main event, then turned it into the biggest win of his career.
The rising middleweight replaced Kevin Holland on about a week’s notice against Jack Hermansson in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 19 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The bout unfolded as a brutal slugfest, with both guys throwing at a high volume and giving as good as they got.
Vettori (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), though, landed more frequently and in a more pinpoint manner over the course of 25 minutes, and that was enough to earn him a unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45.
The tone was set in the opening round, as both competitors cracked one another, Vettori finding a home with straight lefts and Hermansson (21-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) landing right hands and body kicks.
But Vettori pushed forward and unleashed a flurry, one of which was a huge left that dropped Hermansson. Vettori went for a choke on the mat, which may have been a tactical error as it enabled the dazed Hermansson to recover.
But Vettori continued to dominate the round, which carried over into round two. Hermansson shot for a takedown, only to have Vettori, a superlative grappler, switch position and dominate the bulk of the round on the mat.
Hermansson picked up the pace in the third, as Vettori appeared to tire. Body kicks mixed with overhands had Vettori backpedaling.
Vettori’s corner let him know he lost the third round, and Vettori found another gear in the fourth. The championship rounds were a gripping 10 minutes of action, as both fighters landed often, Vettori landing 94 strikes over the final two rounds sand Hermansson 63. Neither guy came close to a finish as both competitors threw down, but Vettori held the fort and clinched his decision.
Vettori won his fourth consecutive fight. He’s tied with Holland for the second-longest win current divisional streak behind champion Israel Adesanya, who handed Vettori his only loss in his past seven fights.
“I feel like I could do much better but man this guy was tough. I thought I would finish him but he came back. Today, I was stronger, man.
Hermansson has dropped two of his past three.
Complete UFC on ESPN 19 results:
