Tag: Marvin Vettori

Jared Cannonier vs. Marvin Vettori set to headline UFC Fight Night event on June 17

A big middleweight matchup is taking the marquee spot on June 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A big UFC middleweight matchup is taking the marquee spot in Las Vegas on June 17.

UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] announced Thursday on Instagram Live that the UFC Fight Night event will now be headlined by [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (19-6-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC).

The clash of former middleweight title challengers currently holding top 5 spots in the latest USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings takes place at the UFC Apex, with the main card airing live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.

Cannonier, 39, will enter his third-straight main event on the heels of a split decision win over Sean Strickland. In the outing prior, Cannonier was defeated in a bid for the middleweight title by champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 276, stopping the momentum of back-to-back wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson.

Vettori, 29, has traded winning and losing decisions over his past few outings since getting a shot at the title. In his last appearance, he halted the momentum of rising contender Roman Dolidze. Prior to that, former champ Robert Whittaker beat Vettori on the scorecards. After coming up short in his shot for the title against Adesanya at UFC 263, Vettori rebounded with a win over Paulo Costa four months later.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night event on June 17 includes:

  • Jared Cannonier vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Alessandro Costa vs. Jimmy Flick
  • Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes
  • Kleydson Rodrigues vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Zac Pauga
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Muslim Salikhov

Marvin Vettori thinks he’s a tough matchup for champion Alex Pereira, who will struggle with the wrestling

Marvin Vettori likes his chances against UFC middleweight champ Alex Pereira and thinks his wrestling would be key in a potential fight.

LONDON – [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] is confident his championship chances still are strong.

The former middleweight title challenger is not ready to give up on his dreams of holding the UFC title, and he doesn’t think he’s too far from another championship fight now that he’s back in the win column. Vettori (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) defeated Roman Dolidze by unanimous decision in the opening bout of Saturday’s UFC 286 pay-per-view main card.

Vettori knows there’s work to be done, but also wouldn’t be surprised if he were to get a championship booking in the near future.

“I believe I still need a few more fights, and I don’t mind that,” Vettori said at the UFC 286 post-fight news conference. “Of course, the way I am, I want to rush to the title, and for sure (champion Alex) Pereira would be a great fight for me. And listen, I’m right there. When you’re in the top five, it doesn’t matter if you’re No. 1, 2 or 3. You’re in the top five.

“The occasion arises, and you have some momentum behind you, you can catch that occasion and win that fight. There are a lot of examples of that. So we’ll see how this fight between (former champ Israel) Adesanya and Pereira plays out. Obviously, (Robert) Whittaker is there – but I’m there. The moment you send me a contract, you can count on me showing up. You can count on me 100 percent. There’s never been a time when I back out from a fight.”

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In terms of a potential fight Pereira, Vettori sees himself as a tough matchup for the Brazilian. He sees a skilled fighter, but with gaps in his game he thinks he can exploit.

“He’s less acclimated to MMA, but still, he’s getting there,” Vettori said. “I think they’re giving him more time to get there. With that being said, I think I believe I’m a very good matchup because I can definitely mix it up in the wrestling, and he’ll struggle with that.

“I like him as a champion, way more than Adesanya. I like the Adesnaya fight, too. We’ll see, line them up. The only guy I didn’t fight in the top 10 is (Jared) Cannonier. Maybe that’s what’s next. But listen, if someone gets injured, I’ll be right there. I want to be active, and I’m going to stay ready. And if I have the chance to fight Pereira, you can count on me for sure.”

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UFC 286 post-event facts: Justin Gaethje’s insane bonus streak continues

Check out the numbers to come out of UFC 286, where Justin Gaethje made more history with another Fight of the Night effort.

The UFC hosted its fourth numbered event of the year on Saturday with UFC 286, which took place at The O2 in London and saw home country hero [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] compete in the main event.

Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) registered his first welterweight title defense when he edged rival [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) by majority decision in their trilogy bout, giving him a 2-1 lead in their series.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 286.

UFC 286 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Leon Edwards gets maximum money

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.

LONDON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 286 took place at The O2. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 286 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Yanal Ashmoz[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

UFC 286 results: Marvin Vettori earns unanimous decision nod over Roman Dolidze in main card opener

In the first fight of the UFC 286 main card, judges favored Marvin Vettori’s work over 15 minutes against rising contender Roman Dolidze.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] is back in the win column after halting the rise of a new middleweight contender.

The opening bout of the UFC 286 main card at The O2 in London saw Vettori (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) take on Roman Dolidze. It was a close, gritty back-and-forth striking battle over 15 minutes, but when the dust settled, judges turned in scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in Vettori’s favor over Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

Vettori opened with a pair of leg kicks, which would prove to be a focus throughout the fight. A moment later, Dolidze unloaded a flurry of strikes, putting Vettori on retreat early. Although the crowd got excited in the moment, Vettori was able to circle away and reset. In the final moments of Round 1, Dolidze sparked another heated exchange before the fighters returned to their corners.

As the fighters trades strikes in the second, Dolidze began taunting Vettori, inviting him to brawl as his confidence grew. “The Italian Dream” did not fall for the trap, and stuck to his gameplan by carefully selecting his punches and kicks on his own terms.

With the fight seemingly tied up going into the final round, the middleweight contenders needed to put a stamp on the fight.

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Dolidze kept the pressure high early, but Vettori displayed solid defense while landing solid counters. Midway through the frame, the action intensified with Dolidze initially leading the exchanges. However, Vettori continued to respond well. He mixed up his attacks with punches and thudding leg kicks.

The judges rendered their decision unanimously in Vettori’s favor, including one judge who surprisingly saw every round for the former title challenger.

Vettori entered the contest at No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, with Dolidze behind him at No. 12.

The win for Vettori marked a return to the win column after a loss to former champion Robert Whittaker in September. Prior to that setback, Vettori picked up a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Paulo Costa.

Dolidze walks away with just the second loss of his pro career, ending a four-fight win streak that included three-straight finishes.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

Marvin Vettori def. Roman Dolidze at UFC 286: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Marvin Vettori’s unanimous decision win over Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 in London.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] at UFC 286 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 286 predictions: Who’s picking Leon Edwards to upset Kamaru Usman again?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 286 main card in London, featuring a Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman welterweight title rematch.

Edwards
vs.
Usman		 Fiziev
vs.
Gaethje		 Barberena
vs.
Nelson		 Maia
vs.
O’Neill		 Dolidze
vs.
Vettori
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
30-19		 usman2023
Usman
(59%)		 fiziev2023
Fiziev
(52%)		 nelson2023
Nelson
(62%)		 oneill2023
O’Neill
(73%)		 vettori2023
Vettori
(59%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
33-16		 usman2023
Usman		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 barberena2023
Barberena		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 dolidze2023
Dolidze
Nolan King
@mma_kings
30-19/em>		 usman2023
Usman		 fiziev2023
Fiziev		 nelson2023
Nelson		 maia2023
Maia		 vettori2023
Vettori
Matt Erickson
@MattE
30-19		 usman2023
Usman		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 dolidze2023
Dolidze
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
30-19		 usman2023
Usman		 fiziev2023
Fiziev		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 dolidze2023
Dolidze
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
29-20		 leonedwards2023
Edwards		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 dolidze2023
Dolidze
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
29-20
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 usman2023
Usman		 fiziev2023
Fiziev		 barberena2023
Barberena		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 dolidze2023
Dolidze
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
28-21		 usman2023
Usman		 fiziev2023
Fiziev		 barberena2023
Barberena		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 vettori2023
Vettori
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
27-22
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 usman2023
Usman		 fiziev2023
Fiziev		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 vettori2023
Vettori
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
27-22		 usman2023
Usman		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 vettori2023
Vettori
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
26-23
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 usman2023
Usman		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 barberena2023
Barberena		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 vettori2023
Vettori
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
26-23		 leonedwards2023
Edwards		 gaethje2023
Gaethje		 nelson2023
Nelson		 oneill2023
O’Neill		 vettori2023
Vettori

The UFC is back in London for the third time in about a year this week with a welterweight trilogy rematch atop the card.

UFC 286 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on former champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) in a trilogy title rematch. Usman had little issue with Edwards for nearly 25 minutes when they fought this past August, but Edwards pulled off a stunning late head-kick knockout to take the title.

Usman is a -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Edwards is +200. It’s not a shutout, though it is a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Usman ahead at 9-2.

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In the co-feature, [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC). Fiziev is more than a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Gaethje who has the slimmest possible picks lead at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) meets [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Nelson is the biggest favorite on the main card at -360, but he has just a 7-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (20-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC) takes on the unbeaten [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. O’Neill is a -170 favorite – the smallest favorite on the main card. Yet she is our closest thing to a unanimous pick at 10-1.

And to open the main card, former middleweight title challenger [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) fights [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Vettori nearly is a 3-1 favorite at the betting window, but he only has a 6-5 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Usman (59 percent), Fiziev (52 percent), Nelson (62 percent), O’Neill (73 percent) and Vettori (59 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

UFC 286 video: An evening with Marvin Vettori and his nutritionist during fight week

Go behind the scenes with Marvin Vettori and his nutritionist just days out from UFC 286 weigh-ins in London.

LONDON – [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] takes on Roman Dolidze in a key matchup of middleweight contenders, but before they throw down Saturday at UFC 286 inside The O2, go behind the scenes with the former title challenger.

After UFC 286 media day on Wednesday, MMA Junkie caught up with Vettori’s nutritionist, Matteo Capodaglio, as he prepared a meal for the fighter just two days away from weigh-ins. Vettori also spoke about the personal nature of the showdown in a sit-down interview during dinner.

You can watch our exclusive feature in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

‘New blood’ Roman Dolidze says title shot with a win over Marvin Vettori makes sense: ‘Why not?’

Roman Dolidze thinks beating Marvin Vettori at UFC 286 in London should lead to a middleweight title shot.

LONDON – [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] thinks beating Marvin Vettori should lead to a title shot.

Dolidze (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) faces former middleweight title challenger Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) on Saturday’s main card opener at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Currently on a four-fight winning streak with three finishes, Dolidze is grateful for the step up in competition and thinks he’s a fresh face for title contention.

“I was always asking the UFC to give me better opponents, and I’m very thankful that they are listening to me,” Dolidze said at Wednesday’s UFC 286 media day. “I didn’t think they would give me Marvin. But now we have Marvin, another good opponent and we are ready.

“I will ask, of course, for a title shot (if I win). I think that makes sense because all these guys fought each other, and why not? New blood.”

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Vettori said he used to get the better of Dolidze during their training sessions at Kings MMA, but the Georgian fighter just brushed those comments off.

“Yes, I remember, but I don’t like this loud talk,” Dolidze said. “He said something about it? OK, let him think like that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

UFC 286 pre-event facts: Rafael Fiziev’s stats could spell trouble for Justin Gaethje

Check out the numbers behind UFC 286, including Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3, Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev and more.

The UFC brings a numbered event back to England for the first time since October 2016 on Saturday with UFC 286, which takes place at The 02 in London with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

A highly anticipated trilogy bout for the UFC welterweight title takes center stage in the main event. After avenging a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) from December 2015 with a shocking head kick knockout at UFC 278 in August, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) will attempt to make his first title defense in the rubber match on his home soil.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 286.

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