Marvin Vettori inserts himself in UFC middleweight title picture with short-notice win over Jack Hermansson
Marvin Vettori took the call on short notice but landed the biggest win of his career as he earned a unanimous decision victory over Jack Hermansson to rise to the top five in the UFC middleweight rankings.
“The Italian Dream” scored a knockdown in the first round with a laser of a left straight. Hermansson was able to survive the subsequent onslaught on the ground and a guillotine choke to escape a testing opening stanza.
Hermansson appeared to have shaken off the cobwebs after the first five minutes and looked to have gained a striking rhythm in the second and third rounds, taking the fight to Vettori and landing punching combinations on what looked like a fatigued opponent.
However, Vettori stepped things up a gear in the championship rounds and continued to engage in firefights on the feet, landing a steady stream of punches with more accuracy than his opponent.
The judges scored the contest 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45 in Vettori’s favour as he surely jumps to near the top of the UFC rankings after handily defeating fourth-ranked Hermansson on Saturday night.
Jamahal Hill stops Ovince Saint Preux in the second round
Jamahal Hill is the latest Dana White’s Contender Series fighter to make a splash on the UFC stage.
Ovince Saint Preux, who missed weight ahead of their light heavyweight contest, had few answers for Hill in the striking exchanges and paid the price, suffering his first knockout loss since 2016.
In the night’s co-main event, Hill targeted the body of “OSP” in the early exchanges, walking through Saint Preux’s leg kicks and straight punches which tried to keep him at bay.
Saint Preux’s defences failed him as Hill pressured with punches in the second round. Backed to the fence, OSP was unable to defend himself as Hill poured on knees, uppercuts, hooks and crosses – all landed with great accuracy – and referee Jason Herzog was forced to intervene before any more undue punishment was received.
Big win for Hill, who remains unbeaten in his professional MMA career and defeated his best-known opponent yet as he looks set to enter the division’s top 15 in the rankings.
UFC on ESPN: Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori full results
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori def. Jack Hermansson by unanimous decision after five rounds
Catchweight: Jamahal Hill def. Ovince Saint Preux by TKO (punches) at 3:37 of round two
Lightweight: Gabriel Benítez def. Justin Jaynes by TKO (knee to the body and elbows) at 4:06 of round one
Light Heavyweight: Roman Dolidze def. John Allan Decision by split decision after three rounds
Lightweight: Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Wiman by KO (slam) at 0:23 of round one
Bantamweight: Louis Smolka def. José Alberto Quiñónez by TKO (punches) at 2:15 of round two
Featherweight: Ilia Topuria def. Damon Jackson by KO (punch) at 2:38 of round one
Heavyweight: Jake Collier def. Gian Villante by unanimous decision after three rounds
