Late last week Jack Hermansson found out his UFC Vegas 16 main event was in jeopardy, after Kevin Holland tested positive for COVID-19. He didn’t hesitate to accept a short-notice replacement in Marvin Vettori, who was sceheduled to fight at UFC 256 on December 12.
The result was an absolute banger of a main event as both Hermansson and Vettori battled for five great rounds. In the end, it was “The Italian Dream” who left the UFC APEX with the biggest win of his career.
Vettori made history in multiple ways in the bout, becoming the first Italian-born fighter to headline a UFC event. He and Hermansson also set the record for the most ever significant strikes in a UFC middleweight bout with 286 (the old record belonged to Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero at UFC 255, with 239).
Vettori started off hot, getting a big knockdown and following it up with ground pressure and control in the first round. He continued pressuring Hermansson in the second, using his strength to win the grappling exchanges with the Swede.
But “The Joker” was never out of it for a moment. He answered Vettori’s call, time and time again, making sure to pepper Vettori with combinations every chance he had.
As the fight went on into the championship rounds it became clear that the Vettori just couldn’t be denied. He stepped up in his first main event and in his first fight with a true middleweight contender.
