UFC on ESPN 19 ‘Hermansson vs. Vettori’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

We’re back with another week of UFC fights, with another event
taking place on ESPN2. We kick off this now eight-fight card in the
heavyweight division with a wild one, as Villante (17-12, 7-9 UFC)
collides with Collier (11-5, 3-4 UFC) in a battle between two men
relatively new to the weight class. This 507.5-pound affair will be
officiated by referee Chris Tognoni, and a sporting touch of gloves
begins the night. Collier sticks out a jab early, and he slams his
shin into Villante’s lower leg. He fires off another, and Villante
visibly reacts to it by recoiling his leg a little too late. When
“The Prototype” goes for one more, Villante walks him down and
tries to brawl with him, landing a few punches. Collier backs off,
sticks out a jab and slings a head kick that gets blocked. Villante
sees a leg kick coming and checks it, and Collier shakes his leg
out from the impact. Both men swing heavy leather, and both land
concussive strikes but neither ring the other’s bell. A right hand
from Villante marks up Collier’s face, and the former middleweight
checks his face to see if there is blood – there is a slight
trickle. Collier lets fly a body kick, and follows it with another
along with a stiff jab. Villante walks through it to throw a bomb,
but Collier ducks it and blasts his man with a knee. As Villante
loads up on his punches, Collier nails him with a low kick only to
get countered with an overhand right that busts his nose open.
Collier flicks out a few more stern jabs, and Villante bites down
on his mouthpiece to take Collier’s head off, but the strikes only
glance off the target. Collier lands a body kick, and winds up with
a low kick and a right hand that hurts Villante. “The Prototype”
charges after his damaged foe, throwing a little too heavily and
tumbling into the fence. He gathers himself and continues to chase
Villante down, but the New Yorker has gathered his thoughts and
appears to have his feet beneath him again. Villante tags Collier
on the nose with a right hand, and Collier’s nose is leaking badly.
Collier returns with a leg kick, and Villante can do nothing but
absorb the full brunt of the impact. Collier breathes heavily but
fires off a head kick that gets blocked, and the two swing it out
to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Collier
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Collier
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Collier

Round 2

The two heavyweights touch gloves, and immediately start trading.
Both land flush, and two hooks from Collier send Villante
staggering back for a moment. Collier backs off to admire his work,
only to walk in and smack Villante with a right hand. Villante is
content to try to counter, but Collier is beating him to the punch
as he recommits to his jab. The New Yorker sets up a one-two, and a
second that follows sneaks around the guard of his foe. Collier
reaches out with a jab and gets his leg kicked hard for his effort,
but he winds up with a big right hand that glances off the guard.
Both men trade body kicks one after the other, and Collier reaches
out with a jab and follows it with a right hand. Collier scores an
uppercut, and the follow-up punches get blocked. The few strikes
that Villante can land have opened up Collier, who is bleeding on
several parts of his face. The two engage in a brief but furious
brawl, each landing heavy punches but neither man relenting.
Villante is the first to disengage, but Collier wades forward with
a jab and dings him with a pair of stern punches. Villante absorbs
a leg kick and misses with a counter, so Collier targets the leg
again with the same strike. Villante loads up on punches as Collier
kicks the body, and Villante stings him with an overhand right.
“The Prototype” eats it like a sandwich and keeps walking forward,
but Villante does not take many back steps and meets him in the
center of the cage with a thudding leg kick. The two jab at the
same time, and Collier wings a left hand that Villante absorbs as
if it were nothing. When Collier lands, he backs away and nails
Villante with a spinning back fist, but the New Yorker does not
register it. Collier crashes in, takes a few punches in the face,
and uppercuts Villante on the chin. The round ends with a popping
body kick from Collier.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Collier
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Collier
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Collier

Round 3

Perhaps surprisingly, we have reached the third round, and the two
sluggers touch gloves one last time. The glove touch is followed by
a brief Collier barrage of punches, and a front kick that partially
deflects off Villante’s cup to pause the action for a moment. We
start again with an apologetic glove touch from Collier, and he
swarms after Villante with a foursome of punches. Villante counters
with an uppercut to back “The Prototype” away from him, and he
clips Collier with a jab and a few follow-up strikes. Collier
scores a front kick to the body, and Villante drills his shin on
the inside of Collier’s thigh. Collier rushes at him a few times
with combinations, and Villante shoves him away while protecting
himself. A telegraphed spinning back fist from Collier collides
with Villante’s gloves, and Villante scores a right hand that makes
the blood pour out of Collier’s face. Collier wants to make him pay
for the damaging strike by connecting with a pair of standing
elbows, and Villante pushes him away with a front kick but his time
his foot bangs into the cup. Once more we have a pause for these
two big men to take a much-needed air break, and less than a
minutes later, the bout resumes halfway into the last round. Both
trade hard, and both land with malicious intent. Collier puts more
into these strikes than most others in the fight, and Villante is
staggered but he keeps his head on his shoulders. Collier digs the
body with the ball of his foot, and he backs away from a counter.
Two looping hooks from Collier may have hurt Villante more than he
is letting on, as his legs wobble and he falls backwards, but stays
on his feet. Collier does not take advantage of this moment of
possible weakness, instead taking a breath before stepping in with
an overhand left. Collier plants a spinning back kick square on
Villante’s torso, but the New Yorker is unfazed and dodges a wide
spinning back fist that comes shortly after. Collier paws out a jab
and a front kick to keep Villante at bay, but he charges in with an
uppercut. Villante backs away and shoves him off, and absorbs a
right hand. When Villante scores his own, Collier nods at him and
there is a brief, but tense, brawl to conclude the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Collier (30-27 Collier)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Collier (30-27
Collier)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Collier (30-27 Collier)

The Official Result

Jake Collier def. Gian Villante via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Shifting gears to the featherweight division, two exciting
grapplers lock horns as “The Leech” Jackson (18-3-1, 1 NC; 1-1-1, 1
NC UFC) attempts to become the first man to defeat Spain’s Topuria
(9-0, 1-0 UFC). Drawing the assignment is referee Mark Smith, and
the two 145ers touch gloves. Topuria reaches out with a left hand,
and Jackson is there to greet him with an overhand right. When
Jackson kicks the body, Topuria responds with his own counter left.
Jackson ducks down to punch, and the Spaniard chains together a
serious combination to the body and head that backs Jackson up to
the fence. Topuria continues to target the body as Jackson circles
out and takes the center of the cage, and his strikes are heavy
enough to make Jackson bounce off the fence. Topuria jabs to the
body, and Jackson wings a right hand as he crashes in for a
takedown. When the Spaniard staves it off, Jackson slings a front
kick to the face, and Topuria counters with a right hand that
bloodies up the nose. Topuria sits down on a left hand as Jackson
rushes towards him, and he hurts “The Leech” with it. Topuria
presses forward to push Jackson against the cage, and his striking
is on point as he rips the body with left hands and rights to the
head. Topuria nails him with an uppercut, and a left hand
to the body makes Jackson double over. The unbeaten fighter lands a
short left hand, and a lethal right that follows it smashes into
Jackson’s temple and sends him crashing to the ground. Smith
shouts for Topuria to stop as he dives in to halt the contest, as
Jackson is out cold before he hits the canvas. Topuria now
celebrates a spotless 10-0 record, with a finish rate of 90 percent
following this crushing victory.

The Official Result

Ilia Topuria def. Damon Jackson R1 2:38 via KO (Punches)

Round 1

Closing out the truncated preliminary card is a recently
rescheduled bantamweight contest as Smolka (16-7, 7-7 UFC) tries to
lift his UFC record above .500 against “El Teco” Quinonez (8-4, 5-3
UFC). Keeping charge of this bout is referee Jason Herzog. The two
are relieved to finally get down to business after a three-week
delay when Smolka missed weight and withdrew from the match, and
there is no glove touch. Instead, Quinonez starts of with reaching
jabs to find his range, but it is Smolka that strikes first with a
body kick. “Da Last Samurai” charges in, grabs a body lock, and
takes Quinonez down. “El Teco” springs back to his feet, and Smolka
tags him with a few punches. Smolka plants a heavy body kick on
Quinonez’s left side, and Quinonez is stunned and cannot counter.
Smolka targets the same spot, so Quinonez scores a front kick that
puts Smolka on his backside. The Hawaiian gets back up, and
Quinonez lands a leg kick. He lands another, and Smolka is ready
with a counter. Quinonez cracks Smolka with a few punches, and
Smolka tries to fire back but he absorbs a heavy calf kick. As
Quinonez circles around, Smolka catches him with his own leg kick,
but Quinonez is fast and hitting hard as he strings punches and leg
kicks together. Smolka tries to kick him back, and his kick gets
caught but he narrowly avoids the counter overhand right. Smolka
grabs him into a clinch and tries to toss him down, but Quinonez
gets to a knee and powers back up. Smolka targets a right hand, and
he clips Quinonez with a few punches. The Mexican is right back at
him, throwing sniper-like punches as he backpedals while Smolka
chases after him. Smolka targets the body a few more times, and
both men crack one another with right hands. Quinonez buckles
Smolka’s lead leg with consistent leg kicks, but he scores a right
hand that makes Quinonez bounce off the cage wall. Smolka rushes in
and considers a takedown, but instead rips the body three times and
takes a knee on the chin. Smolka crashes in and hits a takedown,
and we can see that the knee busted Smolka’s right eyebrow open.
When Quinonez muscles back up, Smolka lands a mat return and gets
off a few elbows on top until Quinonez is back on his feet. Smolka
races after him with strikes as time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Smolka
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smolka
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Smolka

Round 2

Between rounds, we learn that the cut was caused by a headbutt and
not the knee, and Herzog informs the judges of this. Quinonez
starts out firing, scoring crisp punches and leg kicks while Smolka
wades forward to try to latch on to him. Smolka absorbs some
strikes and finally grabs Quinonez, but Quinonez manages to throw
him down. Smolka uses the takedown in his favor to attack a
guillotine, so Quinonez has to bail on it and they stand back up
again. Smolka charges forward to land body shots, and in the
clinch, Quinonez dings him with a knee and backs away to chop down
on Smolka’s lead leg with a kick. Smolka attempts to clinch again,
and Smolka tosses him down and hops over to full mount to land
strikes. Quinonez scrambles wildly, and although he nearly gets up,
Smolka bullies him back over and reclaims the mount position.
“Da Last Samurai” pounds on his foe with relentless
and powerful punches from on top, and Quinonez twists and turns but
he is trapped. When Quinonez rolls to his stomach to protect
himself from the damage, Smolka pours it on with a barrage of
strikes. As Quinonez is no longer able to intelligently defend
himself and is just absorbing punch after devastating punch, Herzog
stops the contest. This is an important win for Smolka, who
lifts his UFC record above .500 with a solid performance.
Additionally, he gets Hawaii back on the winning track, as all
three fighters from the island state lost last week.

The Official Result

Louis Smolka def. Jose Alberto Quinonez R2 2:15 via TKO
(Punches)

Round 1

To begin the five-fight main card on ESPN2, longtime vet Wiman
(16-9, 10-7 UFC) tries to get his first win in many years – Wiman
last prevailed in 2014, three years before Leavitt (7-0, 0-0 UFC)
made his pro debut. This bout with a tremendous disparity in
experience will be overseen by referee Chris Tognoni, and there is
nothing but respect as the two lightweights touch gloves to start
out. Leavitt walks Wiman down and kicks him to the body, and he
drops down for a double leg takedown to lift Wiman up. Leavitt calmly walks him over to his corner, and as
Wiman holds him tight, Leavitt slams him with all his might to the
ground. Wiman’s head clatters off the canvas, and he is completely
unconscious. “The Monkey King” knows that his opponent is out
cold, and he does not need to land any strikes and instead stands
back up to walk away. Wow! After a few scary moments, Wiman wakes
back up and can move his limbs – he is going to be ok as he
eventually sits up. The victor runs to his corner and dives into
his corner’s waiting arms to get lifted in the air in a glorious
reference to „Dirty Dancing.“ After his gets his hand raised for
the official decision, Leavitt leaves the cage to go over to
Wiman’s wife and pay his respects. What a wild, brutal
knockout!

The Official Result

Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Wiman R1 0:22 via KO (Slam)

Round 1

A striker’s delight is up now, as the unbeaten Georgian power
puncher Dolidze (7-0, 1-0 UFC) squares off against “The Hunter”
Allan (13-5, 1 NC; 0-0, 1 NC UFC) at light heavyweight. The two
combine for one decision win across their 20 victories, so referee
Herb Dean will need to keep his head on a swivel for this one.
There is a glove touch, but they would much prefer to swing for the
bleachers. Dolidze loads up on a body kick early, and he flings up
a head kick that gets blocked. The Georgian fakes a kick to draw a
reaction, and Allan is bouncing back and forth on his feet and
dodges a few reaching punches. Dolidze tags Allan with a hook and
pushes his opponent down to the ground, where he advances to side
control and nearly falls into an armbar trap. Dolidze powers
through hit and jumps back into guard, and Allan throws his legs up
with his offensive guard. Allan nearly connects with an upkick on
the chin, and Dolidze pushes the legs away to dive down and hit a
heel hook. Allan rolls and rolls through the position, but Dolidze
torques it until the heel slides out. Allan manages to slip his leg
out of the way and he jumps back to his feet, and Dolidze tries and
fails to land on him on the way up. Allan kicks him in the gut, and
he blocks a big overhand right that zooms towards his face. The
Brazilian attacks with a leg kick, and both men land powerful
punches to draw a laugh out of Dolidze. Allan gets off another calf
kick, and Dolidze loads up on huge punches. Allan walks through the
strikes with a high guard, and he chops at the lead leg a few
times. Dolidze cracks him with an uppercut, and he backs off with a
laugh to score his own hacking leg kick. Dolidze paws out a left
hand and ducks a big counter, but he crashes forward and possibly
clacks head to knock Allan over. Dolidze could have landed a strike
to hurt Allan on the way down, and Dolidze attacks the leg again
but cannot secure a submission. The Georgian lords over his fallen
foe with a few leg kick until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze

Round 2

Allan begins the round with a body kick, and Dolidze respond with
one that skims the cup and elicits a 10-second pause. Dolidze lumps
his man to the body with a powerful kick, and Allan cannot
successfully counter. Allan slips a punch and scores a big right
hand, and steps back to land one more. Dolidze fires off a head
kick but it is easily blocked, and he rushes in to hit a takedown
and land in side control. Allan tries to tie his right shoulder up
with his legs, but the Georgian bursts out and lands strikes. Allan
returns his man to half guard, and he latches on to a guillotine
choke off his back. Before Dolidze can get into Von Preux position,
Allan bails on it, as Dolidze is slamming his fist into Allan’s
ribcage. Dolidze keeps landing punches from on top, but he cannot
advance his position again. Instead, he rains down some thudding
punches and an elbow or two, and Allan cannot buck him off. Allan
again pursues a guillotine choke with his back on the floor, and
Dolidze pops his head out to land more ground-and-pound. For less
than a second, Dolidze gains full mount, and Allan kicks him off to
return to half guard. Dolidze consistently works his opponent over
from on top with punches to the body and head, being well busy
enough to stave off any referee standup. Dolidze slowly and
methodically lands strikes until he falls back to pursue a heel
hook, and Allan slides out with ease to stand up. Allan charges
after him when they both get to their feet, and he tries to punish
his adversary with punches but time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze

Round 3

The final round begins with a glove touch, and when there is an
errant blow to start things off, they touch gloves again. Dolidze
drills his shin into Allan’s side, and then targets the lead leg
with a hard kick. Allan rings his foe’s bell with a right hand, and
Dolidze smiles and laughs at him for the strike. Dolidze sneaks in
a liver kick under Allan’s guard, and the pace has waned
significantly in this round. Allan swipes with an overhand right,
and Dolidze blocks it and replies with another liver kick. Dolidze
backpedals and circles away from an aggressive Allan, possibly
hoping to ride out the fight as he expects he is up two rounds.
Dolidze reaches out with a few jabs, and Allan kicks him in the
leg. When Allan over-extends with a power punch, Dolidze attempts a
takedown but gets stood up. Allan knees him in the body and has
Dolidze in trouble, and he pours it on with punches until Dolidze
tries to take the fight down. Allan reverses the position to ground
Dolidze instead, and Dolidze is ready for this with submissions to
threaten off his back. The Georgian powers back to his feet and
pursues a double leg takedown, and as soon as he elevates Allan,
Allan winces. In half guard, Dolidze methodically grinds his man
out with sporadic punches as precious seconds tick off the clock.
Allan avoids the brunt of the damage but he is flat on his back
with no way to get back to his feet. Dolidze rides out the rest of
the round on top, and this is the first time the Georgian has ever
gone the distance.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze (30-27 Dolidze)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze (30-27
Dolidze)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dolidze (30-27 Dolidze)

The Official Result

Roman Dolidze def. John Allan via Split Decision (28-29, 30-27,
29-28)

Round 1

Two lightweights looking to get back to their winning ways are up
now, as “Moggly” Benitez (21-8, 5-4 UFC) tries to snap a two-fight
skid against “Guitar Hero” Jaynes (16-5, 1-1 UFC), with the latter
suffering a defeat in his previous bout as well. Referee Mark Smith
is in charge of the action, and a touch of gloves clocks in this
fight. Benitez scores kicks to the body and leg early, and Jaynes
walks him down and starts to slug it out. Benitez backs away to
avoid the strikes, and he picks away at Jaynes’ legs with more
kicks. The two take turns to blitz one another, as Jaynes lands,
Benitez recovers, and then Benitez lands several shots. Benitez
keeps his kicks going all the while, high and low to keep Jaynes
guessing. Jaynes stalks him down with punches, and he backs Benitez
against the fence to wing an uppercut at him, but he whiffs. Jaynes
rips a left hand to the body as part of a combination, and he has
already caused some damage on the left eye of “Moggly.” Benitez
keeps working the leg, and Jaynes walks through every one to try to
batter his foe with punches. Jaynes targets the body and then goes
up to the head, and Benitez keeps him at bay with a head kick.
Benitez mixes up his attack with kicks high, to the body and low,
and he snaps Jaynes’ head back with a power punch. When Jaynes
reaches out to push off as Benitez is charging him, he pokes
Benitez in the eye to cause a short break. When they resume, Jaynes
runs at him but gets uppercutted in the face. Jaynes walks into
multiple punches to land hard shots, and Benitez tees off on him
from a distance. When Jaynes steps in to punch, Benitez times a leg
kick to the otherwise rear leg, and Jaynes has to shake it off.
Benitez goes after the leg again, causing Jaynes to flurry and end
a combination with an errant kick to the groin. A second or two is
all Benitez needs to gather himself, and when the action resumes
again, Jaynes charges him and winds up his big right hand. Before he can connect, Benitez times a
picture-perfect knee to the liver to send a rampaging Jaynes flying
to the ground as if he were facing off against Bald Bull from
“Punch Out.” The fighter from Mexico dives down on top to spam
elbows from above, and he only needs a few until Smith intervenes
to call the fight. In victory, Benitez is the first fighter to
ever finish Jaynes in Jaynes’ 22-fight career. What a stellar fight
for as long as it lasted.

The Official Result

Gabriel Benitez def. Justin Jaynes R1 4:06 via TKO (Knee and
Elbows)

Round 1

Our co-main event is a catchweight, as St. Preux (25-14, 13-9 UFC)
missed weight for the first time in his UFC career before facing
the undefeated Hill (7-0, 1 NC; 1-0, 1 NC UFC). This 208-pound
contest will be officiated by referee Jason Herzog, and St. Preux
apologizes by offering a glove touch to his opponent – Hill
obliges. St. Preux starts the fight with a leg kick, and he aims
another to the same spot but Hill dances out of the way. When St.
Preux reaches for a punch, Hill attempts to time and overhand right
counter, but it falls short. Hill kicks his foe on the body, and
both land kicks at the same time. The kick from Hill clacked off
the cup of “OSP,” but he shrugs it off and they keep fighting. Hill
fakes high to land a left hand to the body, and “OSP” goes after
the lead leg of his unbeaten adversary once more. Hill responds
with a leg kick, so St. Preux slings a head kick his way. St. Preux
stabs the body with his toes, and Hill fires off a left hand that
just misses the mark. Hill cracks St. Preux with a one-two, and he
rips the body with a left hand as St. Preux lunges out with a body
kick. Hill digs to the body with a few more punches, and St. Preux
retreats and trips, but does not topple over. When St. Preux
gathers himself, he chops at the lead leg again, so Hill decides to
respond in kind. St. Preux kicks the body and Hill is ready with a
counter to the torso. “OSP” reaches out with a few punches, and he
hops back away from Hill’s response. St. Preux nails the lead leg
with a kick and Hill reacts poorly from it, so St. Preux hits it
again to make Hill wobble. Hill tags the body with punches, and he
swings and misses with a huge left hand. St. Preux gets off a body
kick, and Hill crashes the pocket but cannot successfully find his
mark in close range. Hill rushes in for a potential takedown, and
“OSP” defends the position with a guillotine choke attempt. Hill
abandons the attempt and they back away, where they chip at one
another with body strikes. Hill rushes forward to blitz St. Preux,
and a few punches land before the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hill
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hill
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hill

Round 2

They greet again with a glove touch to start the round off, and St.
Preux chops at the lead leg to disrupt Hill’s forward momentum.
Both men trade low kicks, and Hill swings and misses with a pair of
punches thanks to St. Preux’s solid head movement. “OSP” lands at
the end of a left hand, and he plants his foot on Hill’s chest.
Both men score body shots, and Hill clips his man with a right
hand. St. Preux recovers and works from the outside with leg kicks,
while Hill occasionally lands to the body. When Hill lands a punch
to the body, his own mouthpiece pops out. He replaces it, and “OSP”
drills his shin on to Hill’s thigh. Hill swings and misses, and St.
Preux does the same but he successfully lands a right hand at the
end of his salvo. When St. Preux lets loose a front kick, Hill
catches it and clocks “OSP” with a huge right hand. Hill turns up
the pace and lands several damaging punches up top, and “OSP” can
do nothing but cover up against the fence. St. Preux pursues a
desperation takedown and he is stuffed, allowing Hill to land a
stream of punches and knees to the chest and face. Hill blasts St. Preux with a few more winging
punches, and he steps up with a knee right to St. Preux’s chin. St.
Preux is hurt badly and falling back against the cage, allowing
Hill to batter him with punch after ferocious punch. Hill misses
with a head kick, but St. Preux is firmly in the danger zone. Hill
pours it on with several more punches, and St. Preux is stumbling
around the fence, possibly only able to stay upright because he
leans against it. Herzog mercifully stops the fight for a
standing TKO, as St. Preux may have been out on his feet for a
moment there. This is by far the biggest win of the unbeaten Hill’s
career, putting out a dangerous, ranked foe with style points. Four
unbeaten fighters came into this event, and all four emerged
unscathed, following Hill’s victory.

The Official Result

Jamahal Hill def. Ovince St. Preux R2 3:37 via TKO (Punches)

Round 1

After a round robin of opponents, “The Joker” Hermansson (21-5, 8-3
UFC) now settles on “The Italian Dream” Vettori (15-4-1, 5-2-1 UFC)
in an all-Europe headliner at middleweight. The two thrilling
grapplers with 28 stoppages across their 36 combined fights have
referee Herb Dean standing between them as they greet for the last
time before throwing down. There is a glove touch, but these two
are fired up. Both middleweights paw at one another to find their
range, and Hermansson lands a leg kick that make Vettori pick his
leg up and dance for a second. The Italian loads up on a left hand,
and it bounces off Hermansson’s forehead. Vettori lands another
left hand, and Hermansson respond with two punches and an inside
leg kick. “The Joker” lands on the outside of his opponent’s leg,
and Vettori crashes in on him to land a few punches. Vettori
charges him and stings Hermansson with an uppercut, and the Swede
shakes it off and starts reaching out with a jab. Vettori punches
the body, and Hermansson blasts him with a body kick that makes
Vettori wince. Both men trade heavy leather on the inside, and
Hermansson counters when Vettori lands on him. Hermansson cracks
him with a right hand, and then lands a low kick for good measure.
Vettori is walking his man down, and Hermansson fakes a takedown to
make the Italian reconsider himself. Vettori rushes in with a chain
of punches, and he swarms and drops Hermansson with a fierce
one-two. As he keeps landing punches from above, Dean is taking a
close eye on the action, but Vettori opts to pursue a guillotine
choke. Hermansson welcomes it as the choke is not tight, and
Vettori lets it go to drop down a few elbows. Hermansson lets him
grab on to a guillotine choke again so that he can clear out the
cobwebs, and Vettori lets go and works the body with several
punches. Hermansson maintains a high guard when Vettori pushes him
over, and the Italian drops down some heavy hammerfists as
Hermansson is stuck against the fence. Vettori drops down for
another guillotine choke, but the arm is not under the chin so
Hermansson sits up and gets punched in the ribs repeatedly. Vettori
slices over to side control, and when Hermansson sits up, Vettori
once more considers the guillotine. Hermansson bursts to his feet
and lands an uppercut as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Vettori
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Vettori
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Vettori

Round 2

Hermansson aggressively starts the round with a heavy right hand,
and backs Vettori up quickly. The Swede lands a thudding body kick,
and Vettori sneaks in a counter to catch Hermansson with a few
punches. “The Joker” shoots low for a single leg takedown, and he
puts Vettori down on his backside but only for a moment. Vettori
defends with a guillotine choke, and Hermansson manages a mat
return until Vettori sweeps him to wind up in full guard. Vettori
stays heavy to not allow Hermansson to scramble, but the Swede
throws his legs up for an omoplata sweep. Vettori breaks it up and
remains on top, and pushes over Hermansson to try to advance his
position. Hermansson sits up but gets shoved over, and he tries to
utilize butterfly hooks to kick off or attempt a submission.
Vettori manages to pass to half guard, but Hermansson threats from
below to make Vettori stand up. The Italian kicks his foe in the
thigh and backside a few times, but Hermansson springs back to his
feet and takes a one-two on the chin. “The Italian Dream” targets
the body with a right hand, and he slips an overhand right to land
two of his own. Hermansson swings and misses with an unusual pawing
right hand, and he stops Vettori briefly by kicking the inside leg.
Hermansson digs to the body and jabs up top, only to shoot in for a
single. Vettori knees him in the chest as he stops the takedown,
standing Hermansson up and ducking the spinning back elbow. Vettori
lands a few punches as he slips a couple Hermansson punches, and he
stings Hermansson with a power right hand. Hermansson slams his
shin into the midsection of his foe, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vettori
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Vettori
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vettori

Round 3

Hermansson comes out guns blazing again, ripping the body with a
kick and landing a couple left hands as well. Vettori clips
Hermansson with a lunging left hand, so Hermansson kicks the calf
twice. When Hermansson kicks on the inside leg, Vettori checks it
and misses with a counter. Vettori scores on a right hand, and
Hermansson pays him back with one. Although Hermansson boots him in
the head with a kick, Vettori ignores it and walks him down to
crack him with a left hand. When Vettori swings hard, Hermansson
drops down for a single and grabs the leg. Vettori keeps upright
and hops away, but he takes a pair of body kicks on the way out. As
Vettori starts to get a jab going, Hermansson again changes levels
for a single. “The Italian Dream” scrambles well enough so that
they both fall over, and get back up before either can capitalize.
Hermansson scores a big right hand, and shoots in for a takedown as
Vettori takes a deep breath while stuffing it. Hermansson lands a
few punches from a distance, getting off a shovel hook. Hermansson
lands a few punches, and Vettori tries to give it back to him but
his strikes may not have the same pop on them as the first round.
Hermansson lands a few and Vettori clinches, but the Italian shoves
him away before either can get a knee off. Both trade jabs, and
Vettori blocks two punches to land three. Hermansson smacks Vettori
with two big right hands, and Vettori takes them on the chin and
throws back. Vettori splits the guard with a left hand, and both
land at the same time with heavy punches. Hermansson takes a kick
to the breadbasket and walks forward to ding Vettori on the jaw
repeatedly, and the Swede’s jab is showing some appreciable damage.
A few punches bounce off Hermansson’s guard as the round
concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hermansson
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hermansson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hermansson

Round 4

Hermansson once more starts aggressively, swinging hard as he
marches down his foe. The Italian stands his ground and swings
back, landing a few punches in the face and scoring to the body.
Vettori sits down on a left hand that catches Hermansson flush, but
the Swede takes it on the brow and throws back. Both men swing
wildly with right hands, and Vettori sticks a jab and moves to
avoid the returning blow. Hermansson lands a glancing right hand to
make Vettori retreat, and he stands in front of his Italian foe to
make him trade. Vettori is able to repeatedly score his crisp left
hand, but they are largely single strikes as Hermansson chains
together combinations. A left and a right score from the Swede, and
the two are just slugging it out in the center of the cage one
after the other. Vettori steps in with a big left, and Hermansson
swings recklessly and misses four times. Vettori’s pace has
improved from the previous round, but Hermansson is the one doing
the pursuing as he makes Vettori back away. The tide keeps turning
as one unloads a salvo of punches, only for the other to do the
same. Vettori gets off a few left hands that go through the guard,
and Hermansson is walking into them as he chambers looping right
hooks again and again. Hermansson attacks the leg once, and Vettori
reacts but flicks out a jab to make Hermansson take a step back.
Hermansson nails Vettori with a pair of hard uppercuts, and Vettori
retreats along the fence to gather himself. Vettori bites down on
his mouthpiece and lands several concussive punches, ending a
powerful combination with a body kick. Three big punches from
Vettori land flush, and Hermansson is unable to pay him back for
the strikes. Vettori stands firm and swings it out with his foe,
landing a few left hands until the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vettori
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Vettori
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vettori

Round 5

Hermansson sprints out of his corner like his hair is on fire,
landing a leg kick and a few punches. Vettori is ready for him,
cracking the Swede with power punches. Vettori stings him with a
left, a right and another left. Hermansson fiercely attacks with
several massive punches, but Vettori sees them coming and weathers
the storm to throw right back. “The Joker” is not joking as he
furiously assaults his opponent. Vettori ducks, moves, eats shots
and throws back. Vettori backs away from an oncoming combination,
and he strings together punches in bunches while Hermansson is
loading up on home run punches. Vettori sticks him and moves,
landing a few left hands to get Hermansson’s attention. Hermansson
wisely clinches up after taking the damage, but Vettori shoves him
away to not give his foe a moment to breathe. They are standing in
front of each other and trading, and the strike totals are likely
off the charts in this clash. Hermansson lands one, Vettori lands
two, and so on. Three punches from Vettori are blocked, as
Hermansson clips him with three of his own while shouting for
emphasis. Hermansson rips several uppercuts through the guard, and
Vettori shrugs them off to trade back at him. Hermansson backs
Vettori against the cage, but he cannot capitalize on it as Vettori
circles away and scores. Vettori’s strikes are straighter and less
wild, allowing him to intercept an advancing Hermansson before the
hooks can land. Vettori clinches up to grind out the waning
seconds, and Dean calls for them to work multiple times. Vettori
looks for a trip while Hermansson rolls, and he grabs hold of a
heel hook in the last seconds. The Italian spins out and takes top
position, where he remains until this frenetic fight ends. This was
a spectacular performance from both men, but more so for Vettori,
who should take home a decision to become the winningest Italian
fighter in UFC history (tied with Alessio Sakara) – doing so in the
first-ever UFC headliner for an Italian. This event in the books,
next week we will be joined by a pay-per-view card capped by a
flyweight title fight with the champ on a short turnaround. We will
be here for it, and we hope you are too!

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vettori (49-45 Vettori)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Vettori (49-45
Vettori)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vettori (49-45 Vettori)

The Official Result

Marvin Vettori def. Jack Hermansson via Unanimous Decision (49-46,
49-46, 49-45)