The UFC Vegas 16 main event just witnessed the promotion’s #12 rated middleweight, Marvin Vettori, win a gritty unanimous decision over the #3 ranked, Jack Hermansson. Vettori got ahead early with a knockdown in the first-round, and did a great job of not allowing Hermansson to steal the momentum for very long. Vettori also did a sound job of stuffing the takedowns and not allowing his adversary to hold the dominant position. This makes four-straight wins for Vettori, who will jump way up in the rankings. In his post-fight interview, he called out recent title challenger Paulo Costa.
Hermansson came out attacking the legs as Vettori pressured forward. They started trading punches, with Hermansson countering and Vettori going first. Hermansson was doing the better job of defending, but Vettori was doing the better job of being relentless. Vettori dropped Hermansson with a laser left hand and took top position. Hermansson was able to tie up Marvin to avoid fight-ending ground and pound, but he didn’t make it back to his feet until there were just a few seconds left in the round.
Hermansson showed up for the second round chucking heat. He was throwing bombs at Vettori before switching to a takedown attempt. After a crazy scramble, Vettori came out with top position. After a bit of time, the fight returned to its feet where Vettori continued to get the better of the exchanges. Hermansson tried to get the fight to the floor again, but Vettori was able to remain vertical.
Hermansson botched his early takedown attempts in the third act. Vettori was doing a solid job of staying vertical, but his output was starting to dwindle. It was actually Hermansson that was pressing forward and throwing the volume. Vettori just couldn’t match the pace of his opponent and he seemed to be fading.
The fourth frame saw a competitive back and forth exchange on the feet. Both men were landing, but then Vettori started doing a bit more of it. He appeared to be just a step ahead of Hermansson, landing his southpaw left hand over and over again.
Vettori was throwing volume right out of the gate in the final round, and Hermansson was willing to swing right back. Vettori was sticking with his straight punches, touching his target and not gassing out. Hermansson tried his best to move forward and wing haymakers, but Vettori did a sound job of neutralizing him and taking the fight to the scorecards.
Marvin Vettori def. Jack Hermansson by decision (49-46 x2, 49-45): Middleweight
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