Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori Staff Predictions
In the UFC Vegas 16 main event, we have an intriguing middleweight match-up between Jack Hermansson and Marvin Vettori. ‘The Joker’ has had two previous opponents fall out and is fighting Vettori on very late notice. Who’ll win? Let’s see what the LowKickMMA staff think…
Jordan Ellis: I’m backing Jack Hermansson in this one. I think this is a 50-50 fight on paper but give the edge to ‘The Joker’ for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he has already beaten people who are at a higher level. Secondly, Vettori was supposed to compete at UFC 256 next week and a rushed weight cut could impact him at some point in this five-round fight. I expect Hermansson to ultimaley edge this one out on the judge’s scorecards.
Prediction: Jack Hermansson
Karim Nathan: I was quite surprised to see Vettori being the favourite for this one, Hermansson is the more experienced fighter and I feel they balance out in the grappling department but Hermansson has a slight edge in the stand up. I believe we will see a lot of clinch fighting in this one and will come down to who can get the better in the clinch situations and who can control the other one better. Im going with a Hermansson unanimous decision based on that he was training for 5 rounds and I believe his experience will help him out in this one.
Prediction: Jack Hermansson
Ross Markey: Given the short-notice circumstances surrounding this matchup, it’s hard to separate either Vettori or Hermansson in my opinion. Credit to Hermansson for remaining on this card following fallouts with both Darren Till and Kevin Holland, and credit to Vettori for drafting in on short-notice. I’d have to agree with Karim on this one. It’s quite puzzling how Vettori enters this one as a favourite in most books. He’s certainly able to match the grappling chaps of Hermansson, although the Swede may have the better finishing instincts in some of those possible exchanges. While it’ll certainly prove difficult for Hermansson to put someone like Vettori away on the feet, I’m picking him to score a finish in this one, against a very gritty Vettori.
Prediction: Jack Hermansson
Abhinav Kini: I was also surprised to see Vettori being the betting favorite for this. While he’s a good grappler in his own right, I feel Hermansson is on a slightly higher level and will have success taking him down. If Vettori is able to stop those takedowns, the fight is certainly interesting on the feet and he has a much better chance of winning. That said, I don’t see that happening as I predict a submission win for Hermansson in the first few rounds.
Prediction: Jack Hermansson
Ryan MacCarthy: I was very surprised to see Jack Hermansson as the underdog in the bout. Vettori is really a guy who flies under the radar. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves, but this this is a very big step up in competition for him. I really like Hermansson in this one. I just feel stylistically he matches up tough and he’s been fighting much higher level competition. I see Hermansson taking this in the 3rd round via submission.
Prediction: Jack Hermansson
