Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori set as new UFC on ESPN 19 headliner

One man’s misery is another man’s opportunity, and Marvin Vettori has benefitted from another UFC on ESPN 19 main event fallout.

After Kevin Holland was forced out of the Dec. 5 headliner vs. Jack Hermansson due to a positive COVID-19 test, Vettori has agreed to step in for the new five-round middleweight matchup.

MMA Junkie confirmed Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) vs. Vettori (15-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) with multiple people close to the situation, who requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN first reported the promotion’s plan.

UFC on ESPN 19 takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card is expected to air on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

Hermansson, 32, has gone through multiple opponents for the December date. He was originally booked against Darren Till, who withdrew due to a knee injury. He then got Holland, and now Vettori. The Swede has said he’s simply eager to compete, with hope of building momentum off his quick submission win over Kelvin Gastelum in July.

Vettori, 27, will get a chance to break through into the upper tier of 185 pounds in his first UFC main event. He was originally slated to fight Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, but has now been removed from that matchup with “Jacare,” who lost to Hermansson in April 2019.

The latest UFC On ESPN 19 lineup now includes:

• Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori
• Jamahal Hill vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Taila Santos
• John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
• Jordan Leavitt vs. Matt Wiman
• Cody Durden vs. Jimmy Flick
• Movsar Evloev vs. Nate Landwehr
• Damon Jackson vs. Ilia Topuria
• Jose Quinonez vs. Louis Smolka
• Jake Collier vs. Gian Villante
• Gabriel Benitez vs. Justin Jaynes