ANDREW SANCHEZ VS. MARVIN VETTORI
One of the cool things about this card is that it’s feels like there are different tiers of fights within the same division scattered up and down the lineup, with this one being the tandem matchup for the main card pairing between Carlos Junior and Hall.
Sanchez has returned to playing to his strengths and it has coincided with a return to the win column for the former TUF winner. A relentless grinder, the 31-year-old has used his wrestling to turn bouts with Markus Perez and Marc-Andre Barriault into grimy clinch battles that have each gone his way. Now 4-2 in the UFC and 12-4 overall, Sanchez is starting to make headway in the 185-pound weight class and can take another step forward with a win in this one.
One of the most promising young fighters in the division, Vettori’s resume gets better with age and his upside continues to climb higher with each passing appearance. “The Italian Dream” is just 3-2-1 in six UFC starts, but those losses came against Carlos Junior and interim champ Israel Adesanya, while the draw came opposite Omari Akhmedov, who extended his unbeaten streak to five last weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Will the more seasoned Sanchez make things ugly and slow down Vettori or will the emerging Italian secure his second victory of the year?
