UFC Vegas 23

Mackenzie Dern submits Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 23

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The second fight on the main card of UFC Vegas 23 was a big matchup in the strawweight division. Fifth ranked Nina Nunes (10-6) was making her return against the rising contender, Mackenzie Dern (10-1).

After a lengthy layoff due to having a baby, Mackenzie Dern returned to the UFC in 2019. She looked very rusty and lost a decision to Amanda Ribas. However, she was able to really turn things around in 2020.

Starting in May, Dern was a perfect 3-0 with two submissions in the UFC. She continues to look better and better every time she steps in the cage. Dern was going to need her best stuff today in taking on Nunes.

Nina Nunes was returning from her lengthy layoff after giving birth. We had not seen Nunes in the UFC since June of 2019. That night, Nunes lost a decision to Tatiana Suarez.

However, that loss snapped a four-fight win streak that included victories over Claudia Gadelha, Angela Hill, and Randa Markos. This matchup at UFC Vegas 23 was pivotal for both of these top contenders.

UFC Vegas 23 Recap

Round 1

The UFC Vegas 23 strawweight contest kicked off with a touch of the gloves. Dern pushes forward with a ton of pressure and lands, but Nunes cracked her with a nice counter shot. The two exchange a couple of big shots before Dern forces the clinch against the fence.

Nunes is able to break and they go back to striking. A big leg kick from Mackenzie Dern lands and she follows it with a right hand. After that, Dern shot in and got deep on a single leg. Dern used a trip to successfully land the takedown.

After they were on the ground, Dern started trying to advance position. The Jiu Jitsu world champion was looking for a submission and she was able to advance to the mount position.

After getting to the mount, Dern started throwing big shots and she transitioned to working on the armbar. Nunes was defending well, but eventually Dern was able to lock it in and Nunes taps immediately. Beautiful performance by Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 23.

Mackenzie Dern def. Nina Nunes by Submission (Armbar) – Round 1

Daniel Rodriguez picks Mike Perry apart at UFC Vegas 23

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Kicking off the main card of UFC Vegas 23 on ABC was a fun welterweight scrap between Mike Perry (14-7) and Daniel Rodriguez (13-2). Both of these men were looking to bounce back from losses in their last fights.

For Mike Perry, he’s looking for 2021 to be a lot better than 2020. Perry was in the news several times for things outside of his performances in the UFC. And inside the octagon, his last performance left much to be desired.

Perry badly missed weight and lost a decision to Tim Means. However, Perry seems to have rededicated himself after the birth of his son. Perry has been training with the likes of Colby Covington and he made weight with no problems this weekend.

Daniel Rodriguez suffered his first UFC loss in his last fight back in December. That loss snapped a nine-fight win streak that brought him to the octagon. Both of these men were in need of a big win today.

UFC Vegas 23 Recap

Round 1

The UFC Vegas 23 welterweight contest opened with a touch of the gloves. Perry opens the striking with a good leg kick. Rodriguez throws a high kick and tries to follow with a left, but both miss.

As Perry steps in, Rodriguez pops him with a left. Rodriguez looks incredibly quick on the feet here in round one. Perry comes in again, but Rodriguez clips him with a counter. Good body kick lands for Rodriguez, but Perry counters with a right.

A big 1-2 lands for D-Rod that hurts Mike Perry. Rodriguez pushes forward to pour it on, but Perry recovered quickly. Again, the speed Rodriguez was really bothering Mike Perry here in the first round.

Another big 1-2 lands for D-Rod and he follows it with another big 1-2. Perry shoots in and gets deep on a double leg and he slams Rodriguez to the ground. Perry spends the rest of the round on top, but I still give the round to Rodriguez. 1-0 D-Rod after one at UFC Vegas 23.

Round 2

Going into the second round at UFC Vegas 23 and it’s apparent that Mike Perry needs to go to his wrestling. A good calf kick opens the striking for Mike Perry here in the second. Rodriguez looks for the 1-2, but he was a bit out of range.

Both men trade big body kicks. A nice straight left hand lands for Rodriguez. D-Rod pops the head of Mike Perry with back-to-back crisp jabs. Another stiff jab lands for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez lands another nice combination, but Perry shoots in and gets a body lock. Perry uses that to get another takedown. However, with both men close to the fence, Rodriguez was able to get back up.

Perry is coming forward with the pressure, but Rodriguez hits him with a clean uppercut. Straight left hand from D-Rod pops the head of Mike Perry. At range, Daniel Rodriguez was doing damage to Mike Perry.

Three big shots land for Rodriguez and Perry was looking a little busted up. Another 1-2 lands for Rodriguez. Perry tries to get another takedown in the final seconds, but couldn’t get D-Rod down. After two here at UFC Vegas 23 it’s 2-0 Daniel Rodriguez.

Round 3

Heading into the final round here at UFC Vegas 23 and Mike Perry is going to need a finish in this one. Perry comes forward to start the round, but couldn’t land in the opening exchange.

A nice leg kick starts the striking for Rodriguez. D-Rod moves forward and lands a good body kick and follows it with a couple of clean shots. Perry shoots in for a takedown, however, Rodriguez defended well and they went back to striking.

Big straight left hand connects for D-Rod. Both men were looking tired here in third. Perry’s back was against the fence and Rodriguez was just touching him up with straight shots.

Perry circles out to take the center and he starts trying to throw. However, Rodriguez continued to just pick him apart. The straight left was really hurting Mike Perry here in the third round.

A massive 1-2 staggers Perry briefly. Daniel Rodriguez shoots for a takedown, however, Perry was still able to defend. Perry’s face is busted up badly, but he didn’t stop fighting until the final bell. However, D-Rod should pick up the win here at UFC Vegas 23.

Daniel Rodriguez def. Mike Perry by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

UFC Vegas 23 Preview: Mike Perry – Daniel Rodriguez

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Tomorrow afternoon on the main card of UFC Vegas 23, we will see a fun scrap in the welterweight division. The polarizing “Platinum” Mike Perry (14-7) is back as he takes on Daniel Rodriguez (13-2).

Mike Perry is quite the character, but he’s been a PR headache for the UFC. 2020 was filled with outside of the octagon issues with Perry, but after the birth of his son, he says that he’s a changed man.

He definitely seems more serious about tomorrow’s fight than his previous matchup. Perry took on Tim Means back at UFC 255 and badly missed weight. Means would go on to outstrike Perry to win a decision.

This could be a do or die fight for Mike Perry. While he’s never in a boring fight, he’s also just 3-6 in his last nine trips inside the octagon. He’s got a big test in front of him and he’s fighting for everything tomorrow.

Daniel Rodriguez also fought at UFC 255 where he lost a decision to Nicholas Dalby. That loss snapped a nine-fight win streak for Rodriguez. D-Rod made his UFC debut in February of 2020 and won his first three fights prior to the loss to Dalby.

UFC Vegas 23 Prediction

One thing that makes me very intrigued by this UFC Vegas 23 matchup is the game plan of Mike Perry. He’s been training down at MMA Masters with the likes of top contender, Colby Covington.

We’ve seen Perry use his wrestling at times, but he’s mostly happy to just strike and brawl with his opponents. That’s not going to be a wise strategy at UFC Vegas 23.

I believe Rodriguez has the cleaner striking and I think he has more pop on his shots. We’ve seen Rodriguez get drawn into brawls as well, but his better technical skills could play here.

If I’m Mike Perry’s corner, I’m telling him to wrestle. If he comes heavy with the wrestling and mixes in occasional striking, I believe he can win a decision here. However, I don’t have faith that’s going to happen. I think these two stand and ultimately, Rodriguez will get the better of Perry at UFC Vegas 23.

Prediction: Daniel Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision

UFC Vegas 23 Preview: Mackenzie Dern – Nina Nunes

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Tomorrow on the main card of UFC Vegas 23 we are going to see a pretty important matchup in the strawweight division. Top eleven contenders will battle it out as Mackenzie Dern (10-1) takes on the returning Nina Nunes (10-6).

For Nunes, this is her first UFC appearance since giving birth last year. She has not competed inside the octagon since June of 2019 so it’s been almost a two year layoff for the fifth ranked strawweight in the world.

Nunes has had a very interesting tenure in the UFC so far. She made her debut back in 2014 and it didn’t start out well. She lost a decision to Juliana Lima. Then she had a year off before losing another decision to Justine Kish.

Following the back-to-back losses, Nunes had another year in between fights. However, when she returned to the UFC, she looked better than ever. Nunes won four straight which included wins over Angela Hill, Randa Markos, and former title challenger Claudia Gadelha.

The last time we saw Nunes was at UFC 238 where she lost a decision to Tatiana Suarez. It will be interesting to see how Nunes looks in her return after this layoff. Someone who knows all about that kind of a layoff is Mackenzie Dern.

Dern is one of the most hyped strawweights in the UFC. She is one of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in the world and she’s shown that off to the tune of six slick submissions in her career.

Like Nunes, Dern took a year and a half off after having a baby. She lost her first career fight in her UFC return, but since then, she’s been sensational. Since her loss to Amanda Ribas, Dern has gone 3-0.

UFC Vegas 23 Prediction

This is a really tough matchup to predict at UFC Vegas 23 and honestly I would stay away from it if I was a betting man. My biggest question mark is around how Nunes is going to look upon her return.

If both fighters were fresh and active, I really like Nunes. She has the grappling defense to keep this standing and I think everyone would agree that she is better and more fluid on her feet than Mackenzie Dern.

While Dern has made improvements, Nunes is the better striker. However, is Nunes going to be tentative and uncomfortable in her UFC return? Will there be any rust? Dern has won three fights in the last 11 months so we know that she’s ready to go.

I’m incredibly torn on this matchup, but I’m going to lean slightly towards Mackenzie Dern. If Nunes comes out looking like the same fighter she was in the third round against Tatiana Suarez, I think she can easily win this fight.

However, there are just too many questions around her UFC return. With Mackenzie Dern, this fight only needs to hit the mat once for her to find a submission. When she has that ace in the bag and factoring in how active she’s been, it’s hard to pick against.

Prediction: Mackenzie Dern by Unanimous Decision

UFC Vegas 23 Preview: Arnold Allen – Sodiq Yusuff

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In the co-main event at UFC Vegas 23, we will see a very important fight in the featherweight division. Two top prospects will go head-to-head as England’s Arnold “Almighty” Allen (16-1) takes on “Super” Sodiq Yusuff (11-1).

Entering tomorrow’s co-main event, Yusuff is 11th and Allen is 10th in the UFC‘s featherweight rankings. Whoever wins this matchup is poised to move up the ladder and get a shot at a premier top ten name at featherweight.

Arnold Allen made his UFC debut back in June of 2015. However, since his debut, he hasn’t been the most active fighter. In almost six years, this is just the eighth time that Allen has made the walk to the octagon.

Despite the lack of fights, it hasn’t held him back from being impressive. In his seven fights in the UFC, Allen is a perfect 7-0. His last fight was in January of 2020 and he scored a decision win over Nik Lentz. He also has a decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez inside the octagon.

With the wave of African UFC stars, another name to watch is Sodiq Yusuff. Yusuff hails from Nigeria just like UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman. “Super” Sodiq looks like he can be the next great African star in the octagon.

Yusuff earned himself a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2018. Since then, he’s competed four times inside the octagon going 4-0 and he stepped up competition along the way. His last fight was at UFC 246 in January of 2020 where he defeated the very tough Andre Fili by decision.

UFC Vegas 23 Prediction

I’m very excited for this matchup at UFC Vegas 23. As I mentioned, whoever wins this matchup is going to take that next step in their careers towards the premier names in the featherweight division.

For Arnold Allen to be successful tomorrow night, he has to keep this fight close. He needs to mix his strikes with his grappling. Allen needs to land takedowns in order to win this fight.

While his striking is not bad by any stretch, I don’t like him in a distance striking matchup with Yusuff. On the flip side, Yusuff needs to keep this fight at range. He’s going to have the speed and the power advantage at UFC Vegas 23.

If Yusuff can keep this fight at range, he’s going to get the better of the exchanges. Someone is getting their first loss in the UFC tomorrow night and I could see it being either man. I really like the diverse attack that Arnold Allen can bring to the table tomorrow.

Allen’s kicks and his grappling ability might give Yusuff some issues. However, as much as I like Allen’s game, I believe Yusuff is going to win tomorrow. I think he’s going to land the more impactful shots and ultimately take home a relatively close decision win at UFC Vegas 23.

Prediction: Sodiq Yusuff by Unanimous Decision

UFC Vegas 23 Preview: Marvin Vettori – Kevin Holland

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We have a fun one tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 23. The Italian Dream, Marvin Vettori (16-4-1), looks to continue his rise to the top of the middleweight division as he meets the entertaining Kevin Holland (21-6).

Originally, Vettori was set to take on Darren Till in the main event tomorrow night. However, just over a week ago, Till broke his collarbone and had to pull out of the fight. That’s when the UFC turned to Kevin Holland.

Holland was one of the fighters of the year in 2020. The Trailblazer went a perfect 5-0 which landed him a main event slot at UFC Vegas 22 against Derek Brunson. However, that is where the winning stopped and Brunson won a lopsided decision.

After the fight was over, Holland said he was leaning towards moving to welterweight. However, when the UFC Vegas 23 main event fell through, The Trailblazer stepped up and offered his services. 

While he earned some major points with the promotion, he’s got an extremely tough task in front of him. Marvin Vettori continues to look better and better and he’s souring towards a UFC title shot. He got his first main event slot in December where he dominated Jack Hermansson.

UFC Vegas 23 Prediction

When it comes to the main event at UFC Vegas 23 main event, it’s a really tough challenge for Kevin Holland. Holland is very good on his feet and we’ve seen him show off his power and slick strikes.

However, we’ve also seen him throw a little wild which throws him off balance. When he’s off balance, he’s even more susceptible to takedowns which he doesn’t do a good job of defending anyway.

Holland is a black belt in jiu jitsu, but we haven’t really seen him show off his submission game. Then you look at his opponent at UFC Vegas 23. Marvin Vettori is looking more and more like the complete package.

Yes, he has good striking and showed very good power in his last fight. However, we’ve also seen him show off his wrestling. In his fight with Israel Adesanya, he was able to land takedowns which brought the fight to a split decision.

If Vettori can take Adesanya down, he’s going to be able to take Kevin Holland down. Vettori has never been knocked out and I don’t see Holland doing it. I think this is going to be a pretty lopsided decision at UFC Vegas 23 and another win for The Italian Dream.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori by Unanimous Decision

Kevin Holland steps in to take on Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 23

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Kevin Holland

UFC Vegas 23 has a new headliner. Kevin Holland (21-6) broke the news on his Twitter page today that he is stepping in for Darren Till to take on Marvin Vettori (16-4-1) in the main event.

Just a couple of days ago, we learned that Darren Till broke his collarbone and had to pull out of the main event. The UFC immediately started looking for replacements and Holland offered his services.

Holland just fought back at UFC Vegas 22 a couple of weeks ago. The Trailblazer took on Derek Brunson in the main event. Holland entered the contest having gone 5-0 in the UFC during 2020.

Had Holland won a couple of weeks ago, he’d be right in the title picture. However, that didn’t happen. Derek Brunson used his wrestling to put a stop to the Kevin Holland hype train.

After the fight was over, Holland said he was contemplating a move to the UFC‘s welterweight division. However, when Till pulled out of next weekend’s main event, he saw it as a perfect bounce back opportunity.

UFC Vegas 23’s New Headliner

Marvin Vettori is no stranger to last minute opponent changes. If you recall, Vettori was actually supposed to take on Jacare Souza back at UFC 256 and Kevin Holland was supposed to take on Jack Hermansson.

However, Holland tested positive for COVID and needed to be pushed back. The UFC put Vettori in to face Hermansson and they gave Jacare Souza to Kevin Holland. Both Vettori and Holland won impressively.

The Italian Dream has won four in a row since his split decision loss to UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Every time Vettori enters the octagon, he’s showed a ton of improvement.

He’s proved himself and shown that he’s going to be a dangerous contender at 185 pounds. This is a huge fight for both men. If Holland wins, he gains back all the ground that he lost at UFC Vegas 22.

On the flip side, if Vettori wins, it would be his fifth win in a row. The UFC would likely put Vettori in a title eliminator which means he would be only one win away from a shot at the middleweight title. Should be a fun buildup to next weekend’s new main event.