USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 8: Marvin Vettori makes big move

Marvin Vettori made the most of his big opportunity at UFC on ESPN 19.

The Italian middleweight accepted a main event against one of the division’s toughest customers in Jack Hermansson. And not only did Vettori (16-4-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) earn the biggest victory of his career with a unanimous decision, but the way he did it deserves note.

Vettori appeared to tire in the third round after dominating the first two, but then he found a second wind in the championship rounds and sealed the deal on a career-making performance. That bodes well for his future bouts against the top of the division.

For now, Vettori moves up to No. 8 at 185 pounds in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings. But if he keeps fighting like he did Saturday night, we suspect that won’t be his ceiling.

That wasn’t the only bout of note on Saturday night, so to check on how your favorite — or least favorite —fighter fares in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, click on the drop-down menu above.