Author: Dan Hiergesell

Marvin Vettori proved yet again that he’s a top contender in the middleweight division earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when he outlasted Kevin Holland for a unanimous decision win.

Holland looked sharp from the opening bell with whipping leg kicks, straight punches from range, and solid takedown defense. Vettori eventually scored a takedown but wasn’t able to land much of anything. Vettori regained top control in the second and didn’t let Holland go. The Italian contender was able to land heavy ground-and-pound and ended up busting up Holland’s eye.

In Round 3, Vettori easily scored another takedown and quickly worked his way over into side control. From there, he pressed Holland with a tight arm-triangle choke, but “Big Mouth” defended nicely. Despite some solid offense on the feet to begin the fourth round Holland couldn’t stop Vettori from taking him down again. Vettori easily worked inside and gained top control to ride out most of the frame.

Holland was able to sting Vettori early into the fifth round but Vettori went back to his bread-and-butter and scored another takedown. “Big Mouth” didn’t have enough left in the tank to change his fortune so late into the fight and Vettori was able to walk away with the easy decision on the heels of 11 takedowns, which is a new UFC middleweight record for a single fight.

Check out the highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.

As soon as UFC Vegas 23 wraps up later tonight (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, fight fans can check out the live post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

On a card that will feature a main event clash between middleweight contenders Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland, a co-headliner featuring budding featherweight fighters Arnold Allen and Sodiq Yusuff, a women’s strawweight clash between Mackenzie Dern and veteran Nina Ansaroff, and a welterweight matchup pitting knockout artist Mike Perry against brawler Daniel Rodriguez, there will be a lot to discuss when the action winds down.

The post-fight presser is scheduled to go live at 6:15 p.m. ET, featuring the biggest winners and losers from the card.

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.

Julian Marquez continued his rise up the middleweight ladder earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when “Cuban Missile Crisis” finished veteran Sam Alvey via second-round submission (rear-naked choke).

Both middleweights came out swinging. Marquez was the aggressor as he backed Alvey up against the cage and started to tee off, but Alvey leaned on his short right hook and counter power shots to keep the younger fighter at bay. Marquez turned the heat up in Round 2 as he landed heavy combinations along the cage to really hurt Alvey. That’s when Marquez pounced on Alvey’s back and sunk in the rear-naked choke without any hooks being placed.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

Marquez now has two submission wins under his belt for 2021 and is quickly looking like a contender on the rise at 185 pounds. “Cuban Missile Crisis” certainly has some defensive holes to fill before he makes his push towards the top 15, but there’s a lot to like about the 30-year-old contender.

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.

Mackenzie Dern put the UFC women’s strawweight division on notice earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when the Brazilian put an end to No. 5-ranked contender Nina Nunes via first-round submission (armbar).

Nunes looked good having not fought in nearly two years but it didn’t take Dern long to score a takedown. From there, Dern worked to full mount, landed some solid ground-and-pound, and positioned herself to sink in the armbar finish. Nunes didn’t have much time to defend once pressure was applied and had to tap.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

This win launches Dern up the divisional ladder and puts her in the mix for title contention later into 2021. Dern has won her last four trips to the Octagon and continues to improve her game on the feet, while leaning on her world-class submission skills when it matters most.

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.

Mateusz Gamrot finally lived up to the hype earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when the Polish contender finished lightweight veteran Scott Holtzman via second-round knockout (punches).

Gamrot was all over Holtzman from the opening bell. From takedown attempts to combinations from range, “Gamer” mixed in a little bit of everything. Holtzman is tough as nails and loaded up on all the counters he could, but it wasn’t enough. Gamrot eventually landed a perfectly-timed right hand that caught Holtzman on the chin. Holtzman fell to the canvas and “Gamer” finished his efforts with heavy ground-and-pound

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

This was the type of performance fans were hoping for when UFC signed Gamrot in 2020. The former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion seems to have all the ingredients to fight his way into the top 15 here in 2021 so it should be interesting to see what “Gamer” can do as he scales the jam-packed lightweight division.

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.

Heavyweight veteran Jarjis Danho made a memorable return to the Octagon earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when the 37-year-old stopped Yorgan De Castro via first-round knockout (punch).

Despite not fighting in nearly five years Danho didn’t seem to have much cage rust at all. He quickly came out firing with whipping leg kicks and was more than willing to trade with De Castro. After a tie up along the cage the two heavyweights exchanged in close and it was Danho who connected with a beautiful right hand counter to the temple. De Castro instantly fell to the canvas and Danho followed up with one final hammer fist.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

This was the best case scenario for Danho after such a long layoff. The heavyweight veteran may have liked to get a little more time inside of the Octagon, but this first-round knockout is just what the doctor ordered. It’s also the first time De Castro has been finished via strikes.

For complete UFC Vegas 23 results and coverage click here.