Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier are motivated to stand out from the crowd at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Saturday. Vettori and Cannonier have only lost to the very best at middleweight in recent years. The UFC Apex will serve as a proving ground for whoever is most ready to earn a second world title shot.
Vettori (19-6-1) has been a headstrong puzzle that few at middleweight have solved. Only reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former champion Robert Whittaker have beaten Vettori in the last five years. Adesanya awaits the winner of Whittaker vs. Dricuss du Plessis and that leaves the winner of Saturday's fight without a clear path to the top. Living by his motto of "amor fati" (which translates from Latin to "love of one's fate"), Vettori won't be bothered by matchmaking politics.
"I'm not overthinking it," Vettori told CBS Sports. "It isn't in my power. What is in my power is to put in an amazing performance on Saturday. That's where my focus is at. I just need to show that I've leveled up and that I'm even better than before. Then I can go and chase another title run.
"Cannonier is a solid guy. He doesn't have major flaws... I definitely have an advantage in the grappling department. My boxing too. In general, I believe I'm better and sharper than him overall."
Check out the full interview with Marvin Vettori below.
Cannonier (16-6) finds himself in a situation nearly identical to Vettori. Cannonier's shortcomings in the last five years are also decision losses to Adesanya and Whittaker. The parallel roads of Cannonier and Vettori diverge in their motivations. While Vettori allows fate to guide him, Cannonier is determined to manifest his own destiny. A defiant Cannonier is visualizing a stunning performance against Vettori that will spur UFC matchmakers to give him the middleweight title shot over Whittaker or du Plessis.
"I want to open some eyes and drop some jaws," Cannonier told CBS Sports. "I want to let the guys who make the decisions say, 'We've already said this [Whittaker vs. du Plessis] is a contender fight, but this looks more appealing,' me vs. Israel part two. I know the first one didn't go too well. A lot of people weren't too happy with it. I wasn't happy with it either and I've made the changes that I needed to make to be satisfied if I ever get in the Octagon with him.
"I'm ready to put on a performance that's going to make those guys believe differently than what's already written out there in the ether."
Check out the full interview with Jared Cannonier below.
The rest of the undercard is a bit weak, but it does mark the return of Arman Tsarukyan. The rising lightweight contender is back in something of a stay-busy fight when he takes on Joaquim Silva on short notice. Tsarukyan was expected to face Renato Moicano at the end of April, but Moicano was forced to withdraw with an injury. Now, Tsarukyan takes a step down in level of competition and looks to extend his winning ways inside the Octagon where he's only tasted defeat two times in eight appearances.
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Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday night with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
| Marvin Vettori -125 | Jared Cannonier +105 | Middleweight |
| Arman Tsarukyan -1100 | Joaquim Silva +700 | Lightweight |
| Christian Leroy Duncan -150 | Armen Petrosyan +126 | Middleweight |
| Pat Sabatini -190 | Lucas Almeida +160 | Featherweight |
| Manuel Torres -180 | Nikolas Motta +155 | Lightweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: June 17 | Start time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas, Nevada
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Prediction
Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier: Vettori and Cannonier have comparable stand-up statistics. The middleweights land and get hit at a similar rate. The most glaring discrepancy on paper is Vettori's wrestling. "The Italian Dream" averages 1.7 takedowns per 15 minutes compared to Cannonier's 0.17 and is roughly 20% more effective. The biggest concern for Cannonier is his suboptimal 64% takedown defense. Many of the takedowns Cannonier suffered were against larger foes at heavyweight and light heavyweight, so that may not be the most accurate representation of his middleweight skills, but Derek Brunson managed three takedowns in less than two rounds last year. Vettori also benefits from a gas tank that can last 25 minutes and a chin that has persevered through 26 pro fights. That durability will serve him very well against the heavy-handed Cannonier. A stand-up battle between the pair would play out rather evenly with a slight edge to Cannonier. Vettori's superior wrestling should put him over the edge. Vettori via UD
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