UFC Vegas 75 Clash: Vettori Vs. Cannonier!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight sluggers Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier will clash TONIGHT (Sat. June 17, 2023) at UFC Vegas 75 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There’s a lot in common between these two athletes. They’ve faced several similar opponents and have climbed to a nearly identical rank at 185 pounds. They’re commonly involved in these “Fight Night” main event slots. Though their individual attributes and fighting styles are certainly very different, each man is fighting for the same thing: an unlikely step back towards a second Middleweight title shot.

Such opportunities are rarely easy to earn, particularly when Israel Adesanya seems so loathe to relinquish his throne. Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Marvin Vettori

Record: 19-6-1
Key Wins: Jack Hermansson (UFC Vegas 16), Roman Dolidze (UFC 286), Kevin Holland (UFC Vegas 23), Karl Roberson (UFC on ESPN 10), Cezar Ferreira (UFC Fight Night 155), Andrew Sanchez (UFC Fight Night 161)
Key Losses: Israel Adesanya (UFC 263, UFC on FOX 29), Robert Whittaker (UFC Paris), Antonio Carlos Junior (UFC 207)
Keys to Victory: Vettori is very much a Jack-of-all-trades. He’s not the best anywhere, but a rounded skill set and inhuman toughness have seen Vettori establish himself as a mainstay of the Middleweight Top Five.

In this match up, Vettori faces more of a specialist. Cannonier wins by out-striking opponents and/or knocking them out — that’s really it! Of course, if this fight remains just a kickboxing match, that specialization could easily favor “The Killa Gorilla.”

As such, Vettori has to mix it up. He has the cardio wrestle consistently without gassing in the process, an advantage over previous Cannonier foe’s like Derek Brunson. If he’s hiding those shots behind punches, he stands a fair chance at landing them or at least building up his offense with more follow up strikes.

In Vettori’s last bout, he demonstrated some improved distance defense and kicking activity. Both are going to be necessary tonight, because staying ahead on the points game will be key against a difficult man to finish.

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Jared Cannonier

Record: 15-6
Key Wins: Derek Brunson (UFC 271), Sean Strickland (UFC Vegas 66), Jack Hermansson (UFC Fight Night 160), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Vegas 34), Anderson Silva (UFC 237), Ion Cutelaba (TUF 24 Finale)
Key Losses: Israel Adesanya (UFC 276), Robert Whittaker (UFC 254), Glover Teixeira (UFC 208), Jan Blachowicz (UFC on FOX 26), Dominick Reyes (UFC Fight Night 129)
Keys to Victory: Cannonier is a fighter born with tremendous natural power and good patience — a rare combination. He’s hard to take down and harder to hold down, and he’s finished several opponents exhausted from the effort.

Maintaining distance is key here. At long range, his speed is going to be hugely useful, and his strikes from that distance are simply heavier. If Cannonier and Vettori are going kick-for-kick, it’s obvious who’s getting the better of that exchange.

If Cannonier can chop at his opponent’s base and keep his feet moving — his frequent stance switches should work well in that regard — his quickness is going to be so useful. Vettori tends to advance on straight lines, so taking angles and letting him walk into heavy counters is probably Cannonier’s best bet at cracking that granite chin.

Bottom Line

The stakes are nearly identical for each man.

Both Cannonier and Vettori have proven themselves superior to most of the division, but they’ve also suffered clear-cut losses to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. Those fairly recent defeats limit their upward mobility, requiring a new champion or extensive win streak to get back in the title picture.

The only real difference is that Vettori is a decade younger. He has time to improve and remain in the title picture as the division changes. Cannonier, meanwhile, is surely closer to the end of his time as an elite Middleweight than the start.

The pressure is on.

At UFC Vegas 75, Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier will battle in the main event. Which man earns the victory?

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 75 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET.

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