While the UFC Vegas 41 main event between middleweight contenders Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa took place in the light heavyweight division, the fight exceeded expectations.
The two were originally booked for a middleweight contest but Costa revealed that he couldn’t make the 186-pound limit earlier this week. The fight was then moved to a catchweight bout before being finalized as a light heavyweight contest.
In the opening round, Costa landed first with a heavy leg kick. The Brazilian landed with kicks to the body, legs and head of Vettori. Vettori worked his way into boxing distance and starting finding a home for his punches. As the round played out, Vettori out worked Costa and applied constant pressure.
In the second frame, Vettori continued to pressure Costa and Costa continued to employ a heavy kicking offense. Costa connected with a head kick that forced Vettori to retreat. Costa went on the attack but couldn’t land a fight-ending shot. Vettori secured a takedown but wasn’t able to keep Costa grounded.
Late in the frame, Costa extended his open hand forward poking Vettori in the eye. Vettori was given time to recover and the referee deducted a point from Costa.
In the third stanza, Vettori pressed forward and began targeting the body of Costa. Costa landed solid punches, but Vettori absorbed them. Costa changed levels and took Vettori down. As Vettori tried to get to his feet, Costa applied a guillotine choke and pulled guard. Vettori popped his head free and gained top position. He spent the final minute of the round in top position peppering Costa with punches to the body and head.
In the fourth round, Costa’s output diminished and Vettori continued to take the fight to the Brazilian. Vettori put together combinations but Costa fired back with heavy shots.
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In the final round, Costa came out aggressive looking to finish Vettori. Vettori closed the distance and clinched but they quickly separated. Costa unloaded power punches and head kicks. Vettori tied him up and briefly looked for a takedown. Costa shook off the attempt. Costa was mounting a little momentum when Vettori clinched and spent the final moments of the fight along the cage. After five rounds of fighting, all three judges scored the bout for Vettori. The scorecards read 48-46, 48-46, and 48-46.
“I keep wanting to fight the best and the belt will come. I want to keep improving. I’m not over-chasing the belt right now,” Vettori said after the win. “With that being said, I still want the belt 100 percent. That’s still my goal, but I want to fight the best.”
UFC Vegas 41 Results: Marvin Vettori decisions Paulo Costa in epic war