Author: Monojit Mandal
Jared Cannonier etched his name in the annals of the middleweight division with a grueling five-round battle against fellow title challenger Marvin Vettori, in a spectacular display of talent and determination. Cannonier’s dominance was on show in the main event of UFC Vegas 75, when he won by unanimous decision, bouncing back from his previous defeat to Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in July. Cannonier’s spectacular victory in the octagon is his second in a row.
Cannonier’s control was demonstrated by his incredible record-breaking performance in landing the most important blows in the history of the UFC’s 185-pound division. Cannonier officially registered 249 important blows during the fight, beating the previous record of 186 blows by a huge margin.
Cannonier was overwhelmingly favored by the judges, with scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46, giving him the well-deserved title of “Killa Gorilla”.
Vettori started the fight with a strong blow that left Cannonier stunned at the start of the first round. The Italian fighter came close to stopping the fight immediately, but Cannonier showed incredible strength, weathering the storm and persevering in the second round. Circumstances changed abruptly in the second round, when Cannonier landed his own crushing blow, putting Vettori in the most dangerous situation of his career. Cannonier attacked continuously, hammering Vettori with punches, but after receiving around 70 important blows, the Italian fighter fought heroically until the end of the round.
The action continued in the third round, with neither fighter giving an inch. Cannonier attacked Vettori, leaving him wounded and defeated. However, Vettori showed his unbreakable character and resilience, retaliating to Cannonier’s attack and even landing a strong elbow strike before the end of the round, momentarily taking control of the situation.
Cannonier used a variety of martial arts moves to keep Vettori off balance during the championship rounds. However, Vettori, who was wearing a red mask due to the persistent attack, showed unwavering determination, even landing a devastating kick to the head minutes before the end of the fourth round.
The fast pace continued during the fifth and final round. Despite Vettori’s heroic attempts, Cannonier regularly outworked him, landing heavy punches on many occasions. Cannonier demonstrated his ability to adapt even more by getting a takedown and launching a violent ground-and-pound attack.