M. Vettori (left) defeated K. Holland (right) in the UFC Las Vegas 23. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
With a rival chosen at the last minute, Marvin vettori didn't give bad luck a chance in the main fight of the UFC Las Vegas 23. In an event held this Saturday (10), the Italian had a strategic performance and controlled Kevin holland during almost 25 minutes of confrontation. After five rounds, the athlete emerged victorious with a unanimous decision from the judges.
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Initially, the confrontation of UFC Las Vegas 23 would star Vettori and Darren till. Injured, however, the Englishman left the show and was promptly replaced by Holland.
Facing his new rival, Marvin did not have his most brilliant performance. Over the course of five rounds, the Italian was scared with dangerous attacks from Kevin. The North American, however, was visibly worn out and reached his second negative result in 2021, in less than a month.
Even without shining, the Italian, in an interview after the show, stated that he deserves a title fight in the middleweight category (up to 83,9kg). In a loud and clear tone, the number six in the group, who reached the fifth positive result in a row, once again challenged the champion, Israel adesanya.
Always willing to perform, Kevin agreed to face Vettori less than a month after being defeated by the veteran Derek Brunson. After a perfect 2020, in which he won all five of his commitments, the North American is now going through a difficult time in the company.
The fight
The confrontation began with Holland delivering a series of low kicks to Vettori's right leg. With greater reach, Kevin tried to assert his advantage and touched his rival more frequently. The North American continued to be more aggressive and landed a series of crosses on the Italian's face. Marvin responded in kind and then went into a grappling fight. In the clinch, the Italian pressed his opponent against the bars, but Kevin managed to move away. Vettori feinted an attack and stuck to his opponent again. The athletes moved away again and began to engage in frank exchanges. With just a little less to go in the round, the Italian finally got the takedown and started attacking his opponent with ground-and-pound. From below, Holland managed to explode and got up. In the final seconds, the athletes exchanged punches again and sought the knockout, but there was no more time.
In the second stage, Vettori took the initiative with a cross. Holland responded with a straight shot and remained dangerous in combinations. Just like in the first stage, the Italian once again took down his opponent and began crushing the North American. On top, Marvin tried to undermine Kevin's energy, who was trying to protect himself. At a disadvantage, Holland continued to take no action, while his opponent continued to score. In the final seconds, Vettori attempted a ground-and-pound knockout, but the timer ran to zero.
Injured in the second round, Kevin returned to the confrontation with his left eye practically closed, a consequence of the Italian's attacks. Right at the beginning of the round, Marvin took his rival to the ground with ease and punished the North American again. After almost two minutes, Marvin reached for a Katagatame. Holland tried to resist, while his opponent was pushing. Kevin resisted the attack and managed to get up. Standing, Marvin feinted an attack again and knocked his opponent down. Visibly tired, Kevin no longer had the same physical vigor. The athlete got up, but was still pressed against the fence by the Italian, who continued to dominate the clash. In the final seconds, Kevin surprised the Italian by connecting a series of punches, which left the Italian wobbly, but the assault was over.
After a bad moment in the final seconds of the last stage, Vettori tried to recover. In the fourth stage, Holland tried to take advantage and connected a sequence of punches and kicks on his opponent. With a disadvantage on his feet, the Italian once again took down the North American. On top, Marvin managed to get to the back, but Kevin managed to get up. Tired, the American was placed on the ground again. Without much action, the stage ended with Vettori in a dominant position.
In the last round, Holland once again surprised the Italian with a clean right to the face. After receiving the 'bomb', Marvin took the confrontation to the ground. With an advantage on the ground, Vettori started to control the actions and managed the result. Despite being worn out, Kevin got back to his feet, but couldn't resist another takedown by his opponent. With two minutes left in the fight, Marvin got the mount, while the North American tried to defend himself. On top, the Italian continued crushing his opponent. Again, Kevin managed to explode and stayed on his feet, but Marvin didn't let go and took his opponent to the ground again. The duel continued without action until the gong sounded.
UFC Las Vegas 23 results
MAIN CARD
Average weight: Marvin vettori derrotou Kevin holland in the unanimous decision of the judges (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
Feather weight: arnold allen derrotou Sodiq Yusuf in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Average weight: Julian Marquez derrotou Sam alvey via submission 2m07s into R2
Straw weight: Mackenzie dern finished nina nunes with an armbar at 4m48s of R1
Welterweight: Daniel Rodriguez defeated Mike Perry in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight:Joe Solecki derrotou Jim Miller in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight: Mateusz gamrot derrotou scott holtzmann by knockout at 1m22s of R2
Lightweight: John makdessi derrotou Ignatius Bahamondes in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Jarjis Danho defeated yorgan de castro by knockout at 3m02s of R1
Bantamweight:Jack shore defeated Hunter Azure via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Feather weight: Luis Saldana derrotou Jordan Griffin in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light heavyweight: Da-Un Jung defeated William knight in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-26, 30-27, 30-26)
Welterweight: Impa Kasanganay submitted Sasha Palatnikov with a rear naked choke at 26 seconds. from R2
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