Cannonier outclasses Vettori to boost title shot hopes

Jared Cannonier moved closer to a second title shot in the UFC’s middleweight division after he outclassed Marvin Vettori over five rounds in the main event of a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 18 June 2023.

Both Cannonier and Vettori have previously lost to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who is next set to face the winner of Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker from their ‘title eliminator’ at UFC 290 next month.

Victory in this clash means ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ waits in the wings both as a potential replacement to face Adesanya should injury or illness strike, and as a threat further down the road.

Cannonier and Vettori put up a slug-fest on Sunday morning, with the former breaking the record for significant strikes landed in a middleweight bout, and it was the extra intensity and relentlessness of ‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ that saw him take the fight on all three judges scorecards: 49-45 49-45 48-46.

“You know, I want the title shot," Cannonier said in his post-fight interview. "That's what I'm here for, I want the title. I'm willing and ready if anything happens or anything to get me that title shot.”

The rest of the main card saw Arman Tsarukyan stop Joaquim Silva in the third round of their lightweight co-main event; Armen Petrosyan outpointed Christian Duncan in thee lightweight division; Pat Sabatini submitted fellow featherweight Lucas Almeida; Manuel Torres knocked out Nikolas Motta in the first round of their lightweight match; and Nicolas Dalby claimed a unanimous decision win over Muslim Salikhov in a welterweight opener.

The next UFC event is a Fight Night at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on the morning of Sunday 25 June 2023, pitting Josh Emmett against Ilia Topuria in the featherweight main event.

UFC Fight Night: Vettori v Cannonier – Main card results

- Main event: Middleweight: Jared Cannonier def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (49-45 49-45 48-46), R5, 5:00

- Lightweight: Arman Tsarukyan def. Joaquim Silva via TKO (punches), R3, 3:25

- Middleweight: Armen Petrosyan def. Christian Duncan via unanimous decision (30-27 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

- Featherweight: Pat Sabatini def. Lucas Almeida via submission (arm triangle choke), R2, 1:48

- Lightweight: Manuel Torres def. Nikolas Motta via KO (elbow), R1, 1:50

- Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby def. Muslim Salikhov via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 29-28), R3, 5:00