UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori prediction, odds, and analysis

Middleweight contenders will meet in the middle of the UFC's world-famous Octagon, as Jack Hermansson faces Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori on Saturday, December 5th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sweden's Hermansson, currently the number four-ranked contender at 185-pounds, was initially supposed to face Darren Till. However, Till was forced to pull out of the bout due to injury. Kevin Holland stepped in to replace Till, but also had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19.

Stepping up on short notice to face Hermansson will be Vettori, who is looking to crack the top 10 in the middleweight rankings.

Here's a look at the complete line-up for UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori:

Jack Hermansson was on camera when he got the call about his second opponent change for #UFCVegas16He accepted the Marvin Vettori fight without hesitation 🃏 (via @jackthejokermma) pic.twitter.com/zM9hGNiuuw

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 29, 2020

UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori Full Fight Card:

Main Card

Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori (Middleweight)

Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jamahal Hill (Light Heavyweight)

Montana de la Rosa vs. Taila Santos (Women's Flyweight)

Roman Dolidze vs. John Allan (Light Heavyweight)

Nate Landwehr vs. Movsar Evloev (Featherweight)

Preliminary Card

Gabriel Benitez vs. Justin Jaynes (Lightweight)

Louis Smolka vs. Jose Quinonez (Bantamweight)

Matt Wiman vs. Jordan Leavitt (Lightweight)

Jimmy Flick vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)

Ilia Topuria vs. Damon Jackson (Featherweight)

Gian Villante vs. Jake Collier (Heavyweight)

Analysis: Jack Hermansson and Marvin Vettori look to rise in the middleweight rankings

With a place in the title picture within reach, number four-ranked contender Jack Hermansson will try to maintain his momentum when he meets number thirteen-ranked Marvin Vettori in an exciting middleweight main event.

Hermansson is fighting well after winning five of his last six outings inside the UFC octagon. In that stretch, Hermansson has taken out the likes of Thales Leites, David Branch, Gerald Meerschaert, and Jacare Souza. Hermansson's biggest win to date however, was his submission victory over Kelvin Gastelum back in July.

Hermansson is a gifted striker and a dangerous grappler, with 11 wins by KO and 6 wins by submission. Six of Hermansson's last seven wins have come by stoppage, and he will look to do the same against Vettori. A win for Hermansson certainly puts him in line for a shot at the 185-pound crown.

Riding a three-fight winning streak of his own, Marvin Vettori has his sights set on a spot in the top-10 of the middleweight ranks.

A submission specialist in his own right, Vettori has earned 9 of his 15 career wins via submission, including his most recent win against Karl Roberson back in June.

A win for Vettori over a top-5 contender like Hermansson will vault the Italian's place in the rankings even higher.

UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori Betting Odds

(Betting Odds courtesy of Oddshark.com)

Main Card

Jack Hermansson (+120) vs. Marvin Vettori (-140)

Ovince Saint Preux (+140) vs. Jamahal Hill (-170)

Montana de la Rosa (+170) vs. Taila Santos (-210)

Roman Dolidze (-200) vs. John Allan (+160)

Nate Landwehr (+450) vs. Movsar Evloev (-600)

Preliminary Card

Gabriel Benitez (-220) vs. Justin Jaynes (+180)

Louis Smolka (-140) vs. Jose Quinonez (+110)

Matt Wiman (+300) vs. Jordan Leavitt (-400)

Jimmy Flick (-165) vs. Cody Durden (+145)

Ilia Topuria (-250) vs. Damon Jackson (+190)

Gian Villante (-210) vs. Jake Collier (+165)

Prediction: Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori

Jack Hermansson by Decision

Marvin Vettori has emerged as the betting favorite, and with good reason. The Italian has never been stopped in his MMA career, and has nine submission wins under his belt. His only losses in the UFC have been against reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (Split Decision) and Antonio Carlos Junior (Unanimous Decision).

Hermansson has been submitted before, but that was way back in 2016, and has stepped his grappling defense up significantly since. It has been evidenced by his performances against submission specialists such as Thales Leites and Jacare Souza.

It's likely that Hermansson can survive on the ground, and will look to use his striking to score points and keep Vettori at bay to grind out a unanimous decision victory.

🃏 Hermansson 𝕧 Vettori 🇮🇹An all-European affair takes centre-stage on Saturday!#UFCVegas16 | Saturday | BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/sIwVZTiqA9

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) December 1, 2020