Marvin Vettori returned to the octagon after almost two years of inactivity on Saturday night, but slumped to defeat on the scorecards to Roman Dolidze in their much-anticipated rematch.
Almost two years ago to the day, the pair competed in a close showdown at London’s O2 Arena which the Italian Vettori took by decision. Since that night, Vettori competed just once in losing Fight of the Night effort to Jared Cannonier while Dolidze was able to get out three times and mount a two-win run.
Both men have ended up around the periphery of the middleweight division, but knew a victory might immediately fire them up the rankings. Vettori’s key calling card was a spot in the top ten, which he maintained despite inactivity.
Marvin Vettori vs Roman Dolidze UFC Vegas 104 result
Marvin Vettori managed to leave Roman Dolidze waiting in hilarious circumstances during his ring walk as it emerged during final checks that he had not put on his cup in the back. Eventually the pair came head-to-head, and both were throwing with big power in the early exchanges.
Eye pokes were a big concern for referee Herb Dean heading in to the second, but within seconds he had found himself causing a stoppage with a blatant foul.
He was somehow allowed off with a warning despite the past few weeks of controversy that included Henry Cejudo’s UFC Seattle defeat to Song Yadong that was almost entirely caused by an eye poke.
The third was an explosive one as both men were hurt by the halfway point, with Vettori particularly catching his rival in the earlier part of the round. But it seemed clear that the Italian’s was the more crisp boxing throughout.
By the end of the fourth it seemed that Dolidze was in the ascendancy and that his rival may be fading. But Vettori pushed forward in the fifth and looked for a rare finish, which ended up resulting in him taking a low blow and taking a temporary break.
With seconds to go both men pushed for the stoppage, Dolidze seemingly landing more with his high output. but it didn’t come and yet again the scorecards were needed to declare Dolidze the winner 49-46 on all three.
UFC Vegas 104 was night of stoppages at the Apex
While fans may not be keen on the Apex as a fight venue, there’s no doubting the excitement that was brought by everyone on the undercard on the night. From a first round knockout in the opening prelim through to the co-main event, just three of the undercard bouts went to decision.
UFC bosses looking to pick a knockout or performance bonus will have been struggling to choose between the many finishes. The results included a first UFC victory for 37-year-old Carlos Vera against the night’s biggest favorite Josias Musasa among three defeats for previously unbeaten fighters.
Da’Mon Blackshear returned with another massive submission victory over Cody Gibson on a night that featured quite a few of the old members of The Ultimate Fighter season 31. Kurt Holobaugh was also defeated, bringing competitors from the show to 1-2 for the night.
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