The Ultimate Fighting Championship remained at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC on ESPN 19: “Hermansson vs Vettori.” The event, which underwent multiple changes today, featured a middleweight bout as Jack “The Joker” Hermansson battled Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori.
In the light heavyweight co-main event, Ovince “OSP” St. Preux took on Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill. Elsewhere on the main card tonight, Gabriel “Moggly” Benitez faced Justin “Guitar Hero” Jaynes in lightweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC on ESPN 19 card.
Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori vs Jack “The Joker” Hermansson
Round 1:
Hermansson opened the action with leg kicks and body kicks, which Vettori countered with a nice uppercut in close. Hermansson scored with another hard body kick and one to Vettori’s left arm, but Vettori was unfazed and he backed Hermansson up with a combination. The fighters traded punches and Vettori dropped Hermansson with a left hook. He dropped down with more punches on the ground and then attempted a top-side guillotine choke. Hermansson recovered and escaped, but Vettori landed more punches from the top and he kept Hermansson pinned down against the base of the cage. Vettori looked for another guillotine choke and he retained top position until Hermansson scrambled up in the final seconds. 10-9 Vettori, if not a 10-8.
Round 2:
The second round with Hermansson landing more body kicks and he shot in for a takedown. Vettori sprawled out to defend and he swept into top position after Hermansson finally got him down. Hermansson attempted an omoplata from the bottom and Vettori used the opportunity to pass to side control. Hermansson regained half-guard and then full guard soon after. Vettori threw short elbows from the top and then stood up. He kicked at Hermansson’s legs and Hermansson got back to his feet. Both men landed jabs and Hermansson kicked to the body. He clinched and landed a nice knee to Vettori’s midsection, but Vettori circled to his right and snapped Hermansson’s head back with a straight left to close out the round. 10-9 Vettori.
Round 3:
The fighters traded body kicks to begin round three and Hermansson kicked to the body. Vettori stuffed a takedown attempt and he fought off another takedown soon after. Hermansson kept the pressure on with body kicks and looping right hands, but Vettori countered with a quick combination and Hermansson backed up. As the round progressed, Hermansson used his jab to set up right hooks until Vettori countered with a body kick. Heransson lunged forward with two punches and he kept Vettori on the defensive with his jab. 10-9 Hermansson.
Round 4:
Hard punches were exchanged right away in the fourth round and Vettori mixed up his strikes with hooks to the head and body. He landed jab-cross combos until Hermansson fired back with a lead left hook. Vettori continued to score with straight left hands and he sidestepped most of Hermansson’s counters. Hermansson landed a leg kick and an uppercut as the round approached its final minute, and he followed with a combination. Vettori quickly answered back with three-punch flurriesand he landed a looping uppercut late in the round. 10-9 Vettori.
Round 5:
Vettori remained aggressive to begin the final round and he backed Hermansson up with right-left combos. Hermansson fired back with a wild right hook that partially landed. Vettori backed Hermansson up with combinations of jabs and uppercuts, and he snapped his head back with a big left cross. Vettori’s speed advantage kept him one step ahead in the exchanges, as he repeatedly landed first with two- and three-punch combos. Hermansson landed another hard right hook, but Vettori’s jab-cross attacks remained effective. The fighters clinched with 50 seconds remaining and Vettori held Hermansson against the fence. He took Hermansson’s back and Hermansson dropped down for a heel hook. Vettori spun free and closed out the fight on top. 10-9 Vettori.
Winner: Marvin Vettori by Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds. He improves to 16-4-1.
Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill vs Ovince “OSP” St. Preux
Round 1:
St. Preux kicked at Hill’s lead leg in the early stages of the fight and Hill answered with straight left hands and a body kick. A hard one-two landed for Hill, who followed with two left hands to the body. The fighters exchanged leg kicks and Hill continued to attack the body with left hooks. Two hard leg kicks scored for St. Preux, who landed a third one as Hill lunged forward with an overhand left. The fighters clinched and St. Preux looked for a standing guillotine choke. Hill broke free and both men landed flurries of punches before the bell. Close opening round. 10-9 Hill by a slim margin.
Round 2:
The fighters traded single kicks and punches during the opening half of round two until Hall closed the distance and landed a hard right hook. St. Preux retreated to the cage and Hill rocked him with overhand rights and uppercuts. St. Preux tied Hill up and bought time to recover, but Hill kept the pressure on with a knee and a series of punches. Hill continued to land unanswered shots as St. Preux wobbled against the cage and the referee Jason Herzog stepped in to wave off the fight.
Winner: Jamahal Hill by TKO (Punches) at 3:37 of round two. He improves to 8-0-0, 1 NC.
Gabriel “Moggly” Benitez vs Justin “Guitar Hero” Jaynes
Round 1:
Benitez landed a leg kick, a body kick and a three-punch flurry in the opening seconds, and he followed with another combination soon after. Jaynes answered with quick punches of his own, but Benitez landed more kicks to his legs and body. Jaynes landed a hard left hook to the liver and a right hand to Benitez’s left eye, which immediately swelled up. Benitez jabbed and threw kicks from a southpaw stance. He landed an uppercut and a right hook, but Jaynes fired back with a right hand of his own and time was called when Benitez was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Benitez landed a knee and a lead right hook. He followed with a combination, then dropped Jaynes with a vicious knee to the body. Jaynes collapsed to the mat and Benitez dove in with punches until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Gabriel Benitez by TKO (Knee To The Body & Punches) at 4:06 of round one. He improves to 22-8-0.
Roman Dolidze vs John “The Hunter” Allan
Round 1:
After an early exchange of punches, Dolidze clinched and he took Allan down. Allan countered with an armbar attempt from the bottom and Dolidze stood up to escape. He dropped back down and attacked Allan’s right leg with a heel hook. Allan rolled and escaped, and the fight returned to the feet. Allan countered a Dolidze leg kick with a hard right hand. Allan threw more kicks to Dolidze’s left leg and body. Both men landed combinations and Allen was dropped by an accidental clash of heads. Allan recovered and looked for submissions from his back as Dolidze struck from the top. Close round. 10-9 Dolidze.
Round 2:
The second round began with another exchange of punches and Dolidze took Allan down into side control. Allan got back to half-guard and he attempted a guillotine choke from the bottom, but Dolidze attacked with elbows and avoided danger. He landed a series of left hands to Allan’s face and stayed busy with punches until the final 30 seconds. Dolidze dropped back for a heel hook and the fighters returned to their feet, where they exchanged punches until the bell. 10-9 Dolidze.
Round 3:
Allan landed leg kicks and a right hook to the body in the final round, and Dolidze responded with a body kick. Allan jabbed and Dolidze landed another kick to the body. Allan kept the pressure on with punches and a knee, then took Dolidze down, but he could not keep him there for long. Dolidze battled back up to his feet and he secured a takedown of his own. Dolidze struck with short left hands from the top until the end of the round. 10-9 Dolidze.
Winner: Roman Dolidze by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
Jordan “The Monkey King” Leavitt vs “Handsom” Matt Wiman
Round 1:
Wiman jumped into a flying guard in the opening seconds and Leavitt walked forward before slamming Wiman down against the base of the cage. Wiman was instantly rendered unconscious and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Jordan Leavitt by KO (Slam) at 0:22 of round one. He improves to 8-0-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)