Jared Cannonier Punishes Marvin Vettori in UFC on ESPN 47 Headliner

Jared Cannonier’s path to the top of the middleweight division just got a little more clear.

The MMA Lab product put forth arguably the finest performance of his career to date, as he battered Marvin Vettori for the better part of five rounds to win a unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 47 main event on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored the fight for Cannonier: 49-45, 49-45, 48-46. “The Killa Gorilla” has been victorious in four of his last five promotional appearances.

Initially it appeared as though Vettori (19-7-1, 9-5-1 UFC) would make it a short night at the office when he hurt Cannonier (17-6, 10-6 UFC) with a left hand early in the opening round. While Cannonier recovered from being rocked, Vettori still controlled the stanza behind his boxing.

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It was all Cannonier from there, however. He took control in Round 2, as he walked “The Italian Dream” down and teed off with numerous powerful right hands. The lopsided frame continued when Cannonier kicked Vettori’s legs out and unloaded with ground-and-pound in pursuit of a finish. While the round was a clear 10-8, Vettori managed to survive, and his granite chin and unyielding resolve would ultimately carry him to the final horn. Cannonier continued to target Vettori’s head with jabs and right hands, all while mixing in timely takedowns, leg kicks and knees for the rest of the contest. Vettori did well to fire back with combinations and kicks to the body, but his offense lacked the impact of his opponent’s.

When all was said and done, the 39-year-old former heavyweight set a UFC middleweight record for significant strikes landed with 241 , according to UFCStats.com. Vettori, who has lost two of his last three outings, has yet to be finished in 27 professional fights.

Tsarukyan Pounds Out Silva

Arman Tsarukyan survived a scare before authoring an impressive finish of underdog Joaquim Silva in the lightweight co-main event. The 26-year-old American Top Team representative used a furious salvo of punches, elbows and hammerfists to put his opponent away at the 3:25 mark of Round 3. Tsarukyan (20-3, 7-3 UFC) has won seven of his last eight Octagon appearances.

Tsarukyan didn’t emerge unscathed from his encounter with Silva. After controlling the opening stanza with wrestling and smothering pressure, the Russian elected to stand and trade with “Netto BJJ” in Round 2. While he landed his fair share of offense, Silva had the round’s most memorable moment when he put his foe on wobbly legs with a counter left hook. Tsarukyan was able to avoid further peril by taking Silva down shortly thereafter.

The final stanza was all Tsarukyan, as he returned to a grappling-first approach. He set the stage for the stoppage by slamming the Brazilian to the mat, unloading with ground-and-pound almost as soon as the combatants landed on the canvas. Silva did his best to keep moving during the barrage, but Tsarukyan wouldn’t be denied.

Petrosyan Outpoints Duncan

Armen Petrosyan outdueled former Cage Warriors champion Christian Leroy Duncan, winning a unanimous decision in a middleweight affair. The Armenian received tallies of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 from the cageside judges to earn his second consecutive triumph in UFC competition.

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Petrosyan (9-2, 3-1 UFC) did a solid job navigating the constant stance switches, unorthodox movement and flashy striking of Duncan (8-1, 1-1 UFC). “Superman” landed the heavier shots, notably focusing on the body and leg of Duncan with a variety of kicks. When the action on the feet wasn’t to his liking, Petrosyan was able to neutralize his foe with periodic clinch work and takedowns. Duncan was competitive throughout, notably splitting Petrosyan open with a spinning backfist late in Round 3. That wouldn’t be enough to get the nod on the scorecards, as Petrosyan quickly shifted gears and sealed his triumph with a takedown.

Sabatini Drowns Almeida

Pat Sabatini completely overwhelmed former Jungle Fight king Lucas Almeida en route to a submission victory in a featherweight pairing. The Renzo Gracie Philly product forced a tapout from his opponent with an arm-triangle choke 1:48 into the second period.

Sabatini (18-4, 5-1 UFC) never let Almeida, who had finished all 14 of his professional triumphs, have room to operate. He grounded his Brazilian adversary in Round 1, advanced to a dominant position and nearly finished the fight with punches and elbows from above. That trend continued into the second stanza, as Sabatani landed another takedown, bloodied Almeida (14-2, 1-1 UFC) with an elbow and then locked in the fight-ending choke. Almeida had no choice but to ask out of the fight in a matter of seconds.

Torres Elbow Sleeps Motta

Entram Gym representative Manuel Torres secured his second quick finish in as many promotional appearances, as he stopped Brazil’s Nikolas Motta with a wicked elbow in the opening round of their lightweight clash. “El Loco” brought an emphatic end to the bout at the 1:59 mark of Round 1. It was the 13th first-round stoppage of Torres’ professional career.

Motta (13-5, 1-2 UFC) put Torres (14-2, 2-0 UFC) on alert during an initial exchange, when he stung the Mexico native with a left hand at the end of a three-piece combination. With that out of the way, Torres went to work, stepping in with a clean left elbow to the face of his adversary. Motta was out when he hit the canvas, but Torres landed a couple follow-up hammerfists for good measure before referee Herb Dean pulled him out of the fray. Torres debuted in the Octagon with a first-round TKO of Frank Camacho at UFC on ESPN 36 in May 2022.

Physical Dalby Wears Down Salikhov

Ex-Cage Warriors title holder Nicolas Dalby outworked Fighting Eagle export Muslim Salikhov en route to a unanimous decision triumph in a welterweight affair. The Dane received scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for his fourth victory in his last five outings. Salikhov (19-4, 6-3) lost on the scorecards for the first time in his professional tenure.

Salikhov controlled the majority of the opening round with his varied striking, but the tone of the bout changed for good when Dalby connected with a clean head kick late in the period. Though Salikhov made it to the horn, he wasn’t the same the rest of the way. Over the final 10 minutes, Dalby imposed his will through forward pressure, grueling clinch work and close quarters elbows and knees. “Danish Dynamite” also threatened with a twister in Round 2 and closed the show in full mount to punctuate an impressive comeback victory.



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