After a power packed schedule of back to back events, UFC Fight Night Vettori versus Holland is back with a bang! UFC Fight Night better known as Vegas 23 is a classic clash between a solid middleweight (185 lbs) contender in the Italian Dream Marvin Vettori and a rising star – Kevin Holland.
This event will be the first one with the new apparel sponsors of the UFC – Venum. After a hyped announcement last July, Venum came on board after UFC’s 6 year partnership with Reebok came to an end.
What a smashing card to begin their partnership.
‘The Italian Dream’ Vettori was originally scheduled to face Brash Brit Darren Till in the middleweight division to decide who climbs up the ranks and gets a step closer to the Gold. However, a broken collar bone forced Till out of this one. There are very few contenders that would step in on short notice to face a 27-year-old, 4 fight win streak monster in Vettori and the UFC was finding it tough to keep this main event intact. Until the Trailblazer, Kevin Holland made the call and said he’s ready to buckle up on a 9-day notice.
Kevin Holland who just went 5 gruelling rounds with Derek Brunson on 20/March/2021 has tied for the shortest turnaround between two consecutive main events.
Let's have a look at the main card below:
If you thought the main event was hyped, how about the opener – Mike Perry taking on Daniel Rodriguez.
We cannot rule out the new mother Nina Ansaroff taking on the bulldozer Mackenzie Dern!
Let's speak on the opener in the welterweight (170 lbs) division where the eccentric Mike Perry took on 10th Planets’ very own Daniel Rodriguez.
Perry is known to be dynamic and eccentric, but is an entertaining fighter. A true treat for the fans to watch. Over the last couple of years, he has changed many camps, got into street fights, walked into the octagon all alone with no professional cornerman etc. But it seems for this fight, Perry will have the backing of former title challenger Colby Covington from MMA Masters.
A talented Perry needs stability in his game as he has all the tools to crack into the top 10 of the welterweight division.
Standing in front of Perry is a solid contender in Daniel Rodriguez. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu’s Rodriguez is camping with Donald Cowboy Cerrone for this fight at the BMF Ranch. It's an interesting choice as Cerrone and Perry don’t particularly like each other and the friction is evident. They have trained together that makes this match up so interesting. Both Perry and Rodriguez are coming off a loss and this result could decide who could be cut from the roster.
Crystal Ball Prediction: Mike Perry gets his hand raised.
The second fight I would like to speak on is the women's strawweight (115 lbs) fight between Nina Ansaroff and Mackenzie Dern.
Both extremely gritty and tough fighters.
This will be Nina’s comeback fight post the birth of her daughter. Nina will be as motivated as her partner Amanda Nunes and may ride the wave of confidence into this fight.
She however, will be clashing against a smiling assassin in Mackenzie Dern. Dern has faced defeat just once in her 11 fight pro career and is currently camping with Jason Parillo. Parillo is a master in strategy and has taken Michael Bisping and Cris Cyborg to championship level. The combination of a great striking coach and strategist in Parillo with the black belt of Dern could be a tough challenge for Nina to cross through.
But this fight is surely something you cannot miss.
Crystal Ball Prediction: Mackenzie Dern gets her hand raised.
Hope you enjoyed my exclusive piece on SPOGO News. For more such exciting content stay tuned to my show The Ultimate Guide to UFC that will come live on the Sony Sports India facebook page and do tune in right here on Spogo News for my post fight analysis.
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Also do catch my podcast – The Fighting G.O.A.T that releases every Wednesday only on the IVM Podcasts Network.
About the author
Somesh Kamra is a professional mixed martial artist specializing in Muay Thai. He has designed many effective training programs for Superhuman Gym and the Police Academy. His knowledge of hand to hand combat is unbeaten and has been a success story for many students. Somesh Kamra is educated from the University of Gold's Gym in the field of physical fitness that includes strength training, plyometrics & cardiovascular training for muscular conditioning. He works closely with the UFC for India and serves as the panelist for the TV Show – The Ultimate Guide to UFC and Pit Stop on Sony Sports Network.
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