Vettori eyes middleweight belt after record win
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Italian mixed martial arts fighter Marvin Vettori on the way to beating Kevin Holland of the United States and setting a middleweight record with 11 takedowns during the UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
PHOTO: UFC
LAS VEGAS • Marvin Vettori set an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight record with 11 takedowns to defeat Kevin Holland via unanimous decision in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night matinee.
While it was a sound victory (50-44, 50-44, 50-44,) the Italian was left wanting more from his performance. He said: "I wanted to finish this guy and I wasn't able to. But it was a dominant win... I'm not the happiest right now, but I keep winning. I keep progressing."
It was the fifth straight victory for the 27-year-old (17-4-1), who is seeking a rematch with reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The Nigeria-born New Zealander came away with a split-decision win in 2018.
Holland (21-7) accepted the fight nine days prior after Vettori's initial opponent, Darren Till, withdrew due to a broken collarbone. It was the American's second fight in just 21 days, having lost to compatriot Derek Brunson on March 20.
The short notice also did not bother Vettori.
"I wanted to fight so bad," he said. "When they said Till was hurt, I was like, 'I'll fight whoever.' I was literally asking for a light heavyweight fight. I was asking for anybody. I'm game. No problem.
"I'm already the best in the world. I keep focusing on myself and working on everything. I'm a very complete fighter."
Vettori took Holland down at least once in all five rounds and caused his left eye to swell up with an elbow during the second round.
Also on Saturday's main card, middleweight Julian Marquez choked opponent Sam Alvey unconscious using a rear-naked choke in the second round to win his second straight fight since returning from a two-year, injury-related absence from the sport.
In a featherweight bout, Britain's Arnold Allen won a narrow unanimous decision over Nigerian-American Sodiq Yusuff, with all three cards coming in at 29-28, while American strawweight Mackenzie Dern bested compatriot Nina Ansaroff with an arm-bar submission in the first round.
Meanwhile, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will undergo surgery for a neck issue he has been dealing with for nearly a decade and hopes to return to action before the end of the year, ESPN reported.
The American became the first UFC fighter to be crowned champion via disqualification when Russia's Petr Yan lost due to an illegal knee in the bantamweight title bout last month.
REUTERS
