UFC Fight Night Report: Marvin Vettori defeats Jack Hermansson in a five-round war
By: Eric Marcotte
On Saturday night, the UFC held their first Fight Night card of the month at the UFC Apex Facility in Los Vegas, Nevada. This was another card that was altered dramatically in the lead up to the event. Initially, Jack Hermansson was scheduled to face Darren Till in the cards main event, but Till was forced to withdraw from the fight following an injury. Till was replaced by Kevin Holland, who was riding a four-fight win streak, but Holland tested positive for COVID-19, and he was forced off the card as well. With only a week remaining before the event, Marvin Vettori was removed from his UFC 256 bout against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and was placed in the main event slot of this event against Hermansson. Vettori had won his last three fights following a split decision loss to the current champion of the division, Isreal Adesanya. In the co-main event, undefeated light heavyweight prospect Jamahal Hill, met Ovince Saint Preux, who had returned to the division in his last fight.
Hours before the event was set to start, three fights were removed from the card. Two main card fights (Montana De La Rosa versus Taila Santos, and Movsar Evloev versus Nate Landwehr) were cancelled following positive COVID-19 tests. Additionally, a preliminary bout between Jimmy Flick and Cody Durden was removed from the card following an undisclosed injury.
The commentary team for this card consisted of Jon Anik, Paul Felder and Dominick Cruz. Performance bonuses were awarded to Jordan Leavitt and Gabriel Benitez. Fight of the Night bonuses went out to Jack Hermansson and Marvin Vettori.
QUICK RESULTS:
- Jake Collier def. Gian Villante by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
- Ilia Topuria def. Damon Jackson by KO at 2:38 of Round 1
- Louis Smolka def. Jose Alberto Quinonez by TKO at 2:15 of Round 2
- Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Wiman by KO at 0:22 of Round 1
- Roman Dolidze def. John Allan by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
- Gabriel Benitez def. Justin Jaynes by TKO at 4:06 of Round 1
- Jamahal Hill def. Ovince Saint Preux by TKO at 3:37 of Round 2
- Marvin Vettori def. Jack Hermansson by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
GIAN VILLANTE (17-12, 243) VS JAKE COLLIER (11-5, 264.5) – HEAVYWEIGHT
The fighters boxed in the pocket early in the first round. Collier connected with a number of leg kicks, but Villante began to throw his right hand every time Collier kicked, which shut that part of his game down momentarily. Collier landed a knee up the middle. His jab was continuously finding a home, and he backed Villante up with a big left hook. Collier landed another strong left late in the round. This was a good round for Collier.
They began the second round by trading hard hands in the middle of the cage. Collier had a nasty cut on his nose. They both landed combinations throughout the round, but Collier had nearly doubled Villante on the total strike count by the midway point of the fight. Villante began to pick up the pace as the round continued, but I didn’t think he did enough to win back the round. 20-18 Collier on my scorecard, but this round was much closer.
Cruz had a laugh at Villante’s body language between rounds. Villante connected with an uppercut, and he did a good job of blocking the majority of Collier’s early offense in the round. A low blow brought a brief pause to the action, which both fighters were thankful for. Collier landed a strong combination as the action resumed. He connected with a spinning back kick to the body of Villante with a minute remaining in the round. The fight ultimately went the distance, and I scored it 30-27 for Jake Collier
WINNER: Jake Collier by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
Collier was the busier fighter, and he landed the biggest shots of the fight as well. To Villante’s credit, he looked like he was in better shape than he was in his heavyweight debut, and was more active than he is in many of his fights as well. Collier is now 1-1 at heavyweight.
The broadcast started with a video package for the V Foundation’s Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund. Throughout the show, they had multiple fighters talk about how cancer has impacted their lives, including Jack Hermansson, Dominick Cruz, Giga Chikadze, Jamahal Hill, Adrian Yanez, and Ovince Saint Preux.
ILIA TOPURIA (9-0, 145) VS DAMON JACKSON (18-3-1, 1 NC, 145) – FEATHERWEIGHT
Topuria aggressively attacked the body early, and he was landing some beautiful hooks. He connected with an uppercut as Jackson shot in, and defended a takedown attempt. Topuria went to the body again, and then he went up high with a right hook, and Jackson was out.
WINNER: Ilia Topuria by KO at 2:38 of Round 1
The fight was short, but it was a complete beatdown while it lasted. We saw some glimpses of Topuria’s striking in his UFC debut, but we got the full package on display here. Topuria (who has won the majority of his fights by submission) did not even attempt to take Jackson down, instead, he overwhelmed Jackson with hooks to the body, and they quickly paid off, opening up the right hook for the knockout blow. This was a fantastic performance from Topuria, who is now 2-0 in the UFC.
LOUIS SMOLKA (16-7, 135) VS JOSE ALBERTO QUINONEZ (8-4, 134.5) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Quinone took Smolka down near the fence, but Smolka quickly scrambled up. Smolka landed a left hand and a kick to the body. Quinonez caught a kick and landed a strong shot of his own, and he proceeded to attack the leg of Smolka, something he would keep at as the round continued. Smolka landed a pair of right hands. As the round continued, the pace only increased, and both men were landing a ton of great shots here. Quinonez landed a knee and Smolka took him down, but he was cut by a headbutt in the progress. Quinonez picked himself up, and the round ended on the feet. This was a great round, and it was very close.
Quinonez landed a pair of kicks to the body to begin the second, and he proceeded to take Smolka down. Smolka threatened a guillotine, and it forced Quinonez to give up his position. Smolka got Quinonez down with a judo throw, and he immediately moved into top mount. Smolka continuously threw down hooks from on top, and Quinonez couldn’t escape the position. The fight was stopped, and Louis Smolka picked up the second-round TKO win.
WINNER: Louis Smolka by TKO at 2:15 of Round 2
I really enjoyed this fight while it lasted. Both fighters were very active, but Quinonez was getting the better of their exchanges early. As the fight continued, Smolka made adjustments to his game, and Quinonez had no answer to Smolka’s top mount in the second round. Smolka is now 3-2 since returning to the UFC at Bantamweight.
MATT WIMAN (16-9, 155.5) VS JORDAN LEAVITT (13-2, 155.5) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Seconds into the fight, Leavitt picked Wiman up and carried him across the cage. He slammed him down to the ground, Wiman’s head bounced off the floor, and he was out.
WINNER: Jordan Leavitt by KO at 0:22 of Round 1
As the decision was being read, Wiman was still out. This was a scary knockout, about as brutal as it gets, and apparently the twelfth slam knockout in UFC history. Leavitt came across as both charismatic and respectful after the finish, and this was a great night for him. This marked Leavitt’s UFC debut. Now 37 years of age, it’s tough to say what’s next for Matt Wiman at this point in his career. He has lost all three of his bouts since returning to the octagon, and it wouldn’t shock me if this is the last time that we see Wiman in the UFC.
ROMAN DOLIDZE (7-0, 205) VS JOHN ALLAN (13-5, 1 NC, 205) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Dolidze connected with a quick hook and took Allan down within the first minute of the opening round. He almost got caught in an armbar, but he rolled for a heel hook, which evened them up on submission attempts. It looked tight at one point, but Allan escaped the hold and got back to his feet. Allan landed a number of leg kicks and seemed to be a step ahead on the feet. Allan pressured forward at one point, but he walked right into a headbutt, and he went down. Instead of following it up with ground and pound, he rolled for another heel hook, and Allan escaped yet again. 10-9 Dolidze.
Dolidze got Allan back to the ground in the second round and began to work from half-guard. He controlled pretty much the entirety of the round from this position, and he kept busy with brief spurts of ground and pounds offense. Dolidze rolled for a heel hook yet again towards the end of the round, but couldn’t get it. 20-18 Dolidze.
The third round took place largely on the feet, with neither man taking many chances. Dolidze was busier, but he got hit by a hard-right hand from Allan about halfway through the round. Allan took Dolidze down, but Dolidze popped right back to his feet, and completed a takedown of his own. He spent the remainder of the round on top, and won this round on my scorecard as well. 30-27 Dolidze.
WINNER: Roman Dolidze by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Paul Felder immediately questioned the judge that scored the fight for Allan, stating that the scorecard may have been worse than the one that scored his fight against Rafael dos Anjos fight in Felder’s favor. Anik noted that it was actually the same judge, Chris Lee, and the commentary team had a laugh. They spent the next five minutes questioning Lee’s MMA knowledge, and they had every right to. This man should not be in the position he’s in.
Horrendous scorecards aside, this was a solid win for Dolidze, who was clearly the better grappler. To Allan’s credit, he held his own at times throughout the fight, but by and large, Dolidze was just a step ahead. Dolidze is now 2-0 in the UFC, and this was the first fight of his career that went to decision.
GABRIEL BENITEZ (21-8, 155.5) VS JUSTIN JAYNES (16-5, 156) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Benitez caught Jaynes with a solid uppercut early. Benitez was throwing a lot of kicks, and Jaynes began to pressure forward to reduce the distance between them. The left eye of Benitez began to swell up after a strong combination from Jaynes. Benitez continued to attack the leg, and connected with another uppercut. Following a brief pause after a low blow, Benitez connected with this powerful standing knee to the body, and Jaynes went down. Benitez gave him no opportunity to recover with ground and pound strikes, but there was no recovering from that knee regardless, and the fight was stopped.
WINNER: Gabriel Benitez by TKO at 4:06 of Round 1
The finish reminded me of the knee that Anderson Silva landed to finish Stephan Bonnar back in 2012. Body shot finishes always look brutal, and this one was no exception. Benitez looked good here, and this was a much-needed win after consecutive losses in his last two bouts. He is now 6-4 in the UFC.
OVINCE SAINT PREUX (25-14, 207.5) VS JAMAHAL HILL (7-0, 1 NC, 205.5) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Saint Preux missed weight by 1.5lbs and was fined 20% of his purse.
They exchanged kicks to the body in the opening minutes of the round. Hill landed a hard-right hand, and he continued to attack the body. Saint Preux connected with a pair of solid low kicks. The calf kicks really appeared to be bothering Hill when they landed. This wasn’t really an action-packed round, but I thought Hill did some solid work with his body shots, and I narrowly gave the round to him.
OSP landed a combination of punches, and both fighters proceeded to attack the body. Hill threw a lot of 1-2’s but he was just missing as Saint Preux controlled the range. Hill began to tag him against the cage, and OSP clinched up to stop the barrage. Hill continued his attack after they separated, and Saint Preux was just eating shot after shot against the cage. OSP was warned that he needed to defend himself, but he was hurt and just couldn’t improve his position. Saint Preux never went down, but the fight was stopped after it became clear that he was done.
WINNER: Jamahal Hill by TKO at 3:37 of Round 2
Ovince Saint Preux has stopped a number of prospects from moving up the ladder of the light heavyweight division over the years, but this was not one of those nights. He never attempted a takedown, and Hill eventually found his range on the feet to get the job done. Hill gave a heartfelt speech about the dangers of drinking and driving in his post-fight interview, following the loss of a close friend. He is now 2-0 in the UFC, with 1 NC.
JACK HERMANSSON (21-5, 185.5) VS MARVIN VETTORI (15-4-1, 186) – MIDDLEWEIGHT
Hermansson began the fight with a strong leg kick. Vettori responded with a pair of straight left hands. Vettori was finding success when he pressed forward, and he connected with an uppercut. Hermansson caught Vettori with a left hand, but Vettori immediately responded with two more left hands of his own. Vettori dropped Hermansson hard with a left hand, and he went for a guillotine. Hermansson escaped the submission attempt, and he brought Vettori into his guard. Vettori posted up and landed some good ground and pound strikes, posturing Hermansson against the cage. Hermansson made it back to his feet before the round ended. I scored the round 10-9 for Marvin Vettori, but a 10-8 wasn’t out of the question.
Hermansson opened the second round with a straight right hand. Hermansson shot for a single leg, and Vettori did an excellent job of defending it, eventually ending up on top in Hermansson’s guard. Vettori racked up the control time, and they returned to the feet with about ninety seconds remaining. Hermansson connected with a good knee to the body against the cage, and Vettori ended the round with a left hand. 20-18 Vettori.
Vettori’s left hand continued to find its home. Hermansson shot for a pair of single legs, but Vettori defended both of them. Hermansson connected with a right hand, and Vettori defended yet another takedown attempt. Vettori landed a lead uppercut through Hermansson’s guard. Jack Hermansson was the busier fighter this round, and his right hand was his best weapon throughout this five-minute period. I scored the third round 10-9 for Hermansson.
They exchanged shots to begin the fourth. Hermansson’s right hand continued to land. For every shot Hermansson landed, Vettori connected with one or two in response, which was very impressive given the fact that Vettori did not train for a five-round fight. Hermansson connected with a nice combination late in the round. Vettori landed a combination of his own, and he caught Hermansson with another left hand. A strong end to the round for Vettori, and I had him up 39-37 going into the fifth.
Hermansson came out aggressively in the fifth round but ate a lot of shots in the process. Hermansson was just winging shots, perhaps aware that he needed a finish. Both guys were landing very strong strikes here, but their chins were somehow holding up. Jon Anik noted that both fighters had thrown over 300 strikes in the fight, which was just ridiculous. With a minute remaining in the round, Vettori shot for a takedown. Hermansson defended the attempt, and he rolled for a leg, but Vettori ended up on top to end the fight. I scored the fight 49-46 for Marvin Vettori.
WINNER: Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45)
The pace of this fight was absolutely insane. They were going just as hard in the fifth round as they were in the first. Going into this fight, I was surprised that Hermansson was the underdog, but Vettori proved me wrong with his performance. He dropped Hermansson, out grappled him, and fought at a crazy pace for five rounds on short notice. In Vettori’s post-fight interview, he called out Paulo Costa, which is probably the most sensible next fight for him. A week ago, he was scheduled to face a dangerous and unranked Jacare Souza, so to go from that to beat the fourth-ranked middleweight, makes this a huge victory for Vettori.
