Jared Cannonier left no doubt as he defeated Italian Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46) last night at UFC Vegas 75. The American, who was number four in the middleweight rankings, inflicted a harsh punishment and puts himself in a good position to fight for the division champion belt that is currently held by Israel Adesanya. Cannonier pressed throughout the fight and broke the striking record for a middleweight fighter during the fight (in the fourth round). Vettori fit without touching the canvas, as if his jaw were made of steel. Great performance from the Italian, who didn’t stop trying until the bell rang.
Vettori came out more involved in the fight, very quickly with a good striking. He started off with a punch that Cannonier felt and knocked him back. He was pressing the Italian, but the American recovered. C.Annonier responded with two hands that hurt him, both coming with powerful blows. He crossed a left Vettori, who was very precise in this first round, and the American reacted by throwing his rights and pressing against the cage. They continued exchanging blows, now with less intensity, in the second round, and Vettori played with the right jab and moving to the left. Cannonier landed several right hands on the Italian’s face, who took the pressure as if his jaw were made of steel. With a low kick, the American took the fight to the ground, where he landed his punches. Vettori managed to get up, his entire face bloody and badly bruised, and he was still conceding a large volume of hands and knees. He responded as he could.
The Italian came out to attack in the third round. He kept conceding blows and also responded with hands and high kicks. Cannonier kept landing, especially his dangerous right hand, and put him against the fence. The Italian took the fight to the ground, attempting to catch Cannonier’s back. The American’s punishment was enormous, and he was wearing Vettori down with the passing of the rounds, who held his hands. For the fourth round, the Cannonier broke the striking record for a middleweight fighter. Vettori did not give in, he accepted the blows without falling and responded to the counter. He took the fight to the ground in the last minutes of the fight, where the American continued with his punishment.
Cannonier removes any doubt after his defeat against Israel Adesanya, the champion of the category, with this resounding victory. “After the Adesanya fight, my goal was to improve and increase my punching. I want to put my name in the story and in the title. I’ve only seen a few flashes when she’s hit me, I’ve been able to stand up and hit her back. In the end I got the win and I’m happy to have duplicated that same situation. Marvin is a very tough guy. He’s hit me pretty hard and I’ve hit him pretty hard, to the best of his ability. I am very proud of myself”, declared the American after the fight.