Marvin Vettori walked into UFC on ESPN 19 on short notice and walked out with an impressive victory over No. 4 Jack Hermansson in the main event.
Vettori outworked Hermansson in an entertaining battle that went all five rounds that the judges scored 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45 for ‘The Italian Dream.’
"I feel like I'm already the best in the world and I still have so much to prove…there is nothing that can stop me from getting that belt."
After defeating Jack Hermansson at #UFCVegas16 ,@MarvinVettori calls for a rematch with Israel Adesanya 🔊⬆️https://t.co/Z7LpS5DNHx pic.twitter.com/cKo2xTVrWX
— UFC News (@UFCNews) December 6, 2020
Vettori could have possibly finished the fight in the first round when he floored Hermansson with a vicious left hand, but went for the choke instead of ground-and-pound which may have given Hermansson an opportunity to recover.
DROPPED HIM 🤯
🇮🇹 @MarvinVettori has Hermansson reeling early! #UFCVegas16 pic.twitter.com/ltfBLyq1Jd
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
In the second round, Vettori continued to aggressively outwork Hermansson on the feet while using his grappling to keep Hermansson on the defensive. Hermansson regained the edge in the third round, taking advantage of a fatigued Vettori with some good body shots and striking.
Both fighters bit down on their mouthpiece in the championship rounds, but it was Vettori with the edge in striking.
The win was Vettori’s fourth straight and likely leapfrogs him in the rankings from his current No.13 slot. In the post-fight interview, he asked for a rematch with now champion Israel Adesanya, the only fighter he has lost to in his last seven contests.
ABSOLUTE 🔒.
[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/fFTA37XzCF
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
Vettori and Hermansson earned Fight of the Night, while Gabriel Benitez and Jordan Leavitt earned performances of the night. Each fighter earned a $50,000 USD bonus.
Big night for big finishes!
💰 @JoJo_MonkeyKing and @Moggly_Benitez take home 50K! pic.twitter.com/TS0DT03aQR
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
Kenai Andrews checks in with his thoughts on the main card.
In case you missed the prelims:
JAKE COLLIER DEF. GIAN VILLANTE VIA UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
ILIA TOPURIA DEF. DAMON JACKSON VIA KO (PUNCHES) R1 2:38
LOUIS SMOLKA DEF. JOSE QUINONEZ VIA TKO (PUNCHES) R2 2:15
JORDAN LEAVITT DEF. MATT WIMAN VIA KO (SLAM) R1 0:22
MAIN CARD
JOHN ALLAN VS. ROMAN DOLIDZE
A big night in Georgia! 🇬🇪
@RomanDolidze1 gets the split decision from the UFC APEX. #UFCVegas16 pic.twitter.com/RRb4Y0BjL3
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
WINNER: ROMAN DOLIDZE VIA SD (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: ROMAN DOLIDZE VIA SD (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Andrews: A good fight, but I thought Roman won all three rounds.
GABRIEL BENITEZ VS JUSTIN JAYNES
A KNEE TO THE CHEST 😳
That is it! @Moggly_Benitez times an INSANE finish to close the show.
[ Action continues on #ESPNPlus & ESPN2 ] pic.twitter.com/xqAL88pmqU
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
WINNER: GABRIEL BENITEZ VIA TKO (PUNCHES, KNEES) R1 4:06
Andrews: That knee. Excellent.
#15 OVINCE ST. PREUX VS. JAMAHAL HILL
STILL UNDEFEATED 🗣
📈 @JamahalH has gone up another level tonight!
[ Main event next on ESPN2 & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/qYPvu5uuqh
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
WINNER: JAMAHAL HILL VIA TKO (PUNCHES) R2 3:37
ANDREWS PREDICTION: JAMAHAL HILL VIA TKO
Andrews: OSP, who missed weight, got caught and Hill did well to swarm and not let him recover. Good win.
MAIN EVENT
#4 JACK HERMANSSON VS. #13 MARVIN VETTORI
DROPPED HIM 🤯
🇮🇹 @MarvinVettori has Hermansson reeling early! #UFCVegas16 pic.twitter.com/ltfBLyq1Jd
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
WINNER: MARVIN VETTORI VIA UD (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: JACK HERMANSSON VIA UD
Andrews: Vettori’s confidence is at an all-time high. How far can he go?
The next UFC event is UFC 256, which is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Las Vegas Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo defends his belt against Brandon Moreno in the main event.
