The Scorecard | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Holland

Marvin Vettori’s five-round decision victory over Kevin Holland won’t likely go on his personal highlight reel, but it most certainly went into his win column, and at this point in his career, that’s all that matters as he looks to secure a rematch with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Their first fight was a close one, and it’s clear that the Italian has the style to give the champ problems, so it is an intriguing matchup, but with fighters like his original foe for last weekend’s bout – Darren Till – and veteran Derek Brunson ahead of him in the rankings, a win over either of those standouts should be on his mind as we approach the midpoint of 2021.

UFC 260 Rewind: Scorecards | Final Results

Arnold Allen has waited a long time for the platform he had on Saturday, and in beating fellow lightweight contender Sodiq Yusuff in an entertaining three-rounder, he delivered the performance he needed to get into the mix in a crowded lightweight division. More importantly, he showed that in a talent-rich weight class, those who dare win. Allen didn’t need to face a rising star like Yusuff, and vice versa, but these two 145-pounders know that to be great, you have to take fights like this. So kudos to both men for stepping up for a fight that delivered the excitement it was expected to.

There’s got to be worse fates than getting stuck in a groundfight with Mackenzie Dern, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head right now. Simply put, if Dern gets you to the mat, she’s a killer, and your only hope might be to stall long enough to make it out of the round. That makes every Dern fight a must see, and while she’s still a work in progress following her win over Nina Nunes, that work is progressing pretty fast at the moment, making a fight with one of the other elite members of the strawweight class something that’s going to arrive sooner rather than later.

Julian Marquez may be Tweeting back and forth with Miley Cyrus and members of the Kansas City Chiefs at the moment, but it’s key to point out that after a split decision loss to Alessio Di Chirico back in 2018, he was told that he might never fight again after suffering a fully torn latissimus dorsi muscle. But here he is, 2-0 since returning with a Performance of the Night win over Maki Pitolo and a Fight of the Night finish of Sam Alvey. And yeah, it’s only April, but “The Cuban Missile Crisis” may have already locked up 2021 Comeback of the Year honors.

My favorite part of my recent chat with Daniel Rodriguez was when I asked him about the influence mentors Kathy Long, Donald Cerrone and Joe Schilling have had on him. He had all the praise in the world for the aforementioned trio, but he wanted to point out something. “They found me this way; they didn't make me like this,” said Rodriguez. “They just tuned me up and showed me the right way how do things. Other than that, I've been a savage, and that's why I'm so comfortable in that ring or cage.” He looked it on Saturday as he pounded out a shutout three-round decision over Mike Perry that opened up the main card on ABC. It was a nationwide introduction to “D-Rod,” and we’re going to be seeming more of him, for sure.