Tomorrow night in the headliner of UFC Vegas 75, we are going to see a pivotal matchup in the middleweight division between two former title contenders. Top four ranked middleweights Marvin Vettori (19-5-1) and Jared Cannonier (16-6) will try to get back into title contention tomorrow night.
Marvin Vettori is coming off a win against Roman Dolidze back in March. In his last ten fights, Vettori is 7-3 inside the octagon. He’s lost to Israel Adesanya twice and once to Robert Whittaker. However, he’s consistently proven he’s still one of the very best in the world.
A man that has a lot in common with him in terms of his middleweight record is Jared Cannonier. Since dropping down to middleweight, Cannonier is 6-2 in the division. Like Vettori, his losses came against former champ Robert Whittaker and current UFC champion Israel Adesanya.
Both of these men are looking to have a big performance to get back into the title picture and prove that they are worth another crack at the belt.
UFC Vegas 75 Prediction
There’s a massive gap in one area of this fight and that is power. There’s no doubt that Jared Cannonier carries more power into the octagon tomorrow night and that very well could play a factor in the fight. However, from a volume and pressure standpoint, Vettori is going to have the advantage.
I could also see cardio coming into play for Vettori in this one. Cannonier needs to keep this fight at range where he can use his power with leg kicks and his hands. If he can keep Vettori away from him throughout the night, I think his power will carry him to a win at UFC Vegas 75.
Not sure he’s going to be able to finish Vettori. Vettori needs to close the gaps and make this a phone booth fight. Use close range boxing while mixing in the clinch and takedown attempts. The more he can make this a grueling fight early on, the more likely he can win a decision by making Cannonier tired.
There’s paths to victory for both men, but I like Vettori in the matchup. I just think that his style is going to wear down Cannonier over five rounds unless Cannonier can consistently hurt Vettori and keep him at range. I’m thinking we see a win for The Italian Dream at UFC Vegas 75.
Prediction: Marvin Vettori by Decision