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With a main event thrown together at the last minute thanks to Darren Till's injury, hopes weren’t all that high for UFC Vegas 23. However, we need not have worried.
Marvin Vettori’s win over Kevin Holland in the main event of UFC Vegas 23 might not have been that explosive, but thankfully though, the rest of the card was entertaining.
We saw a handful of fighters really shine, rising into UFC title contention, while others may have saved their jobs with the UFC.
With this in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Vegas 23: Marvin Vettori vs. Kevin Holland.
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#1 Marvin Vettori – defeated Kevin Holland in UFC Vegas 23 main event
Marvin Vettori’s win over Kevin Holland wasn’t that entertaining, but The Italian Dream did what he had to do and came away with his second UFC main event win in a row.
Vettori basically used the same game plan as Derek Brunson did in his fight with Holland, essentially outwrestling The Trailblazer for five rounds.
And unsurprisingly, given that Brunson fight only took place a few weeks ago, Holland had very little answer to Vettori’s takedowns.
It’s unlikely that this win will net Vettori much fanfare with the UFC or with its fans. After all, it wasn’t that explosive, and at times, the fight definitely dragged.
However, the Italian didn’t really have much choice in the matter. He simply needed to ensure he beat a last-minute replacement to keep his name amongst the contenders for the UFC Middleweight title, and he did that.
Where next for Vettori? A re-booking of the fight with Darren Till would work. Still, if neither Kelvin Gastelum nor Robert Whittaker look good next week, a shot at champion Israel Adesanya isn’t impossible.
And with that considered, Vettori should be seen as one of last night’s big winners.
#2 Mackenzie Dern – defeated Nina Nunes
The fighter closest to a title shot after UFC Vegas 23 is probably Mackenzie Dern.
The decorated grappler looked phenomenal in her fight with Nina Nunes, taking her down and submitting her with an armbar in the first round.
Not only did Dern look in the best shape of her career, but it’s also hard to play down the importance of this win.
Nunes had never been submitted in the UFC before and she’d also survived on the ground with the UFC Strawweight division’s other great grappler – Tatiana Suarez – for three rounds in 2019.
Against Dern, though, she was simply outclassed – a stark reminder of just how skilled Dern is on the mat.
With the top of the UFC Strawweight division being peopled by strikers like Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas and current champion Weili Zhang, Dern is an outlier. And that makes her a highly dangerous opponent for anyone.
It might take her one more fight yet, but there’s no doubt that the BJJ ace is now a title contender. And if she continues to improve at this rate, she’ll also be a future UFC champion.
#3 Arnold Allen – defeated Sodiq Yusuff
Very few fighters in the UFC put together a winning streak of more than five fights. Most fighters who do find themselves firmly in title contention.
Somehow, though, Arnold Allen was on a seven-fight UFC win streak going into last night’s event. And yet, the majority of the hype appeared to be on his opponent, power-puncher Sodiq Yusuff.
That shouldn’t be the case today.
Not only did the UK’s Allen defeat Super Sodiq, but he also proved his own striking power could hold up in the Featherweight division, as he dropped his opponent twice.
Allen was at #10 in the UFC’s Featherweight rankings going into last night’s fight, and while his win over Yusuff – who was #11 – might not pull him up any further, he clearly needs a top-five opponent next time around.
The Almighty is one of the best-rounded fighters in the division, doesn’t appear to have any weaknesses, and at 27 years old, is probably reaching his athletic prime.
He’d make for a great opponent for the likes of Calvin Kattar, Zabit Magomedsharipov, or Chan Sung Jung. It’s time for the UFC to pull the trigger on this huge talent.
#4 Daniel Rodriguez – defeated Mike Perry
After impressing with three wins in his first three UFC appearances, Daniel Rodriguez slipped a little when he lost to Nicolas Dalby in his last visit to the Octagon.
It was important for D-Rod to get back on track last night, and he did that in excellent fashion, dismantling tough veteran Mike Perry over three rounds.
Rodriguez’s striking looked excellent in the fight, as he hit Perry with everything he had. Only the toughness of Platinum – as well as a couple of good takedowns – prevented Rodriguez from claiming a finish.
Sure, it’s probably worth considering that Perry, who has had personal issues outside of the UFC, is probably finished as a top-level fighter at this point.
However, it was still impressive to see Rodriguez whitewash him, and so D-Rod should now be considered a man to watch at 170lbs. He was definitely one of UFC Vegas 23’s big winners.
#5 Julian Marquez – defeated Sam Alvey
The most violent finish of UFC Vegas 23 probably belonged to Julian Marquez. The Cuban Missile Crisis showed a simply terrifying killer instinct when he took out Sam Alvey in the second round.
After a back-and-forth first round, it actually looked like Alvey might have the edge going into the second.
But that wasn’t the case as Marquez destroyed him with punches before choking him unconscious moments later.
The Cuban Missile Crisis might be cringey on the microphone – he made an odd challenge to some of the Kansas City Chiefs’ players to face him in a badminton competition after the fight – but he’s clearly a bad man inside the Octagon.
And with his clear charisma, he’s probably a fighter that the UFC will want to push going forward – making him a huge winner last night.
