UFC on ABC 2: Vettori vs. Holland Preview

The UFC APEX will hold yet another night of fights this Saturday at an earlier start time of 9:30AM ET. Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland will duke it out at the top of the middleweight division. UK’s own Arnold Allen will compete against Sodiq Yusuff in the evenings co-main event.

Kevin Holland a a way of taking himself into, and sometimes talking his way out of fights too. Last month the rising middleweight prospect went up against Derek Brunson in strange bout where Brunson took home the victory against the over-talkative Holland. Holland will have his shot a redemption when he takes on Marvin Vettori in the headliner.

Vettori’s original opponent Darren Till was forced to pull out of this fight with a broken collarbone. The winner of that fight would have slotted into number one contender status in the 185-pound division. A win for the Italian fighter over Holland may see Vettori rewarded with another shot at Israel Adesanya. The two have locked horns in the past with Adesanya squeezing out a close split decision.

“The Italian Dream” has set his sights set on the task in hand, and I feel he will be super confident that he can make it five wins out of five in recent fights. The style of matchup will suit Holland as I feel the bout will mainly play out on the feet. Holland did look like a duck out of water when Brunson put him on his back and maybe Vettori will have taken a mental note after looking at that encounter.

If you are Kevin Holland you need to entertain less, and perform more while inside the cage. This talking gimmick that will only get you so far and once the losses start piling up, slowly the fans will start losing interest in Holland. Vettori has been looking better and better each time he has made the walk in recent fights and I feel he may be the bigger, stronger and meaner fighter when these guys go toe-to-toe. I think that may be the defining factor coming into this main event.

Arnold Allen and Sodiq Yusuff will share the co-main event slot. The fight itself on paper is an absolute belter and promises to deliver. Allen is undefeated in his seven UFC bouts and is steadily progressing up the featherweight rankings. Yusuff himself has not tasted defeat inside the octagon, going 4-0 so far in his UFC tenure. This fight really excites me and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Julian Marquez will welcome Sam Alvey back down to the middleweight division. Alvey is in need of a win badly as he currently rides a four fight losing streak. Marquez was victorious over Maki Pitolo in his last encounter in which he returned after a long layoff, he will be eager to keep that winning streak alive.

Nina (Ansaroff) Nunes returns to action after having a baby with double champion Amanda Nunes. Her opponent Mackenzie Dern knows what its like to compete after giving birth, the Brazilian had a baby girl in 2019 and has looked great in her last three bouts. A win over Nina would catapult her directly into title contention. This fight will be hotly contested and well worth tuning in for.

Mike Perry, who also has been introduced to parenthood after his partner gave birth to a baby boy in January. “Platinum” will open up the main card when he squares off against Daniel Rodriguez in the welterweight division.

The prelims section will host a plethora of mouthwatering matchups as UFC veteran Jim Miller challenges upcoming prospect Joe Solecki in the lightweight division. Polish standout Mateusz Gamrot will be looking for his first win under the UFC banner when he takes on Scott Holtzman in the 155-pound division.

Erin Blanchfield will make her UFC debut when see battles Norma Dumont in the women’s bantamweight division. Canada’s own John Makdessi will welcome Chilean fighter Ignacio Bahamondes into the lightweight division. Jarjis Danho is still searching for his first UFC win, his dance partner will be the heavy hitting Yorgan De Castro.

Buried on the undercard is undefeated Welsh sensation Jack Shore who will be looking to make it 14 wins out of 14 in his professional career. Hunter Azure will be the Welshman’s adversary on the night and I’m sure he will be excited to be given the chance to end Shore’s undefeated streak. This is a tremendous fight and well worth tuning in early to see it go down.

Luis Saldaña and Jordan Griffin will battle it out the the featherweight division. The fight will mark the debut of Saldaña under in the big show. Da Un Jung and William Knight will faceoff in the light heavyweight division. Impa Kasanganay looks to put being on the receiving end of the KO of the year when he makes the walk to take on Sasha Palatnikov in the 170-pound division.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD

Main Card (BT Sports/ABC 3:00PM ET)

Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Kevin Holland

Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Sodiq Yusuff

Middleweight: Sam Alvey vs. Julian Marquez

Strawweight: Nina Nunes vs. Mackenzie Dern

Welterweight: Mike Perry vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Prelims (BT Sports/ESPN+ 11:30AM ET)

Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Joe Solecki

Lightweight: Scott Holtzman vs. Mateusz Gamrot

Bantamweight: Norma Dumont vs. Erin Blanchfield

Lightweight: John Makdessi vs. I. Bahamondes

Heavyweight: Yorgan De Castro vs. Jarjis Danho

Bantamweight: Jack Shore vs. Hunter Azure

Featherweight: Luis Saldaña vs. Jordan Griffin

Light Heavyweight: Da Un Jung vs. William Knight

Welterweight: Impa Kasanganay vs. Sasha Palatnikov