UFC ON ESPN 47: Marvin Vettori vs Jared Cannonier 06/17/2023 Preview, Predictions and Match Picks

UFC ON ESPN 47: Vettori vs Cannonier 06/17/2023 – Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier look to move a step closer in gaining a middleweight championship opportunity as they fight in a five-round clash on Saturday, June 17, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The match is the main event of the UFC on ESPN 47 fight card as both fighters seek to strike a victory to push them closer to the 185-pound title picture. Both fighters were one-time contenders to current middleweight king Israel Adesanya and they want another piece of him if they win this showdown. Vettori is coming off a unanimous decision win over Roman Dolidze while Cannonier edged Sean Strickland via split decision in his last bout. Initial online MMA odds for the fight give “The Italian Dream” the edge over “The Killa Gorilla” due to his past performances inside the octagon.

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Main Card

Marvin Vettori

Vettori (19-6-1, 9-4-1 UFC) has provided the excitement when he first stepped into the octagon in August 2016 when the former Venator FC champion dispatched Alberto Uda via a second-round submission victory. After going 1-2-1 in his next four fights, the Italian strung up five straight victories to secure a rematch against Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. Unfortunately, he succumbed to “The Last Stylebender” via unanimous decision in their championship bout. Following the loss, Vettori fought three more times and won two, with the last being against Roman Dolidze. Vettori has two Performance of the Night and one Fight of the Night bonuses tucked in his sleeve and he seeks to perform well in his next match to secure another title shot against Adesanya.

Stats-wise, Vettori has 11 wins via stoppage (nine submissions and two knockouts) and has never been submitted or knocked out. In the striking department, the Italian has landed an average of 4.38 significant strikes per minute and has a 44% accuracy rate. Vettori has absorbed 3.65 strikes per minute and successfully fended off 59% of the strikes launched against him. In terms of grappling, the Italian is proficient with a rate of 1.77 takedowns per 15 minutes. His takedown success rate is 44% and blocked 75% of the takedown attempts lodged against him. Vettori’s submission success rate, meanwhile, is 0.52.

Jared Cannonier

Cannonier (16-6, 9-6 UFC) began his UFC stint as a heavyweight and he succumbed to Shawn Jordan via knockout. Following that defeat, the Dallas-born fighter dispatched Cyril Asker and Ion Cutelaba in his light heavyweight debut. After this, he fought Glover Teixiera, Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes and lost those bouts. He dropped weight again after his loss to Reyes and shifted to middleweight. The shift worked out for Cannonier as he strung up five wins in six matches and received three performance of the night incentives during that streak. The winning run also gave the American a shot at the 185-pound title against Adesanya in UFC 276. However, he failed to outclass the New Zealander, losing via unanimous decision. He returned five months later to face Strickland and won via split decision.

Cannonier has always put up his best effort during fights as evidenced to his five post-fight bonuses that included four Performance of the Night honors. The American landed an average of four significant strikes per minute and has an accuracy rate of 50%. Cannonier has taken 3.86 strikes per minute and has successfully stopped 61% of the attempts against him. The Killa Gorilla does most of his fights standing up, so his takedown average is a low 0.17 per 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy is also low at 25% and his defense proficiency is 64%. He has yet to submit an opponent in his career.