Marvin Vettori looked for a finish, but Omari Akhmedov did enough early to see their middleweight bout end in a draw.
The UFC 219 prelim action continued in Las Vegas on Saturday with a middleweight scrap between Italy’s Marvin Vettori and Russia’s Omari Akhmedov. For Akhmedov, otherwise known as ‘The Wolverine,’ it was a return to the weight class after spending most of his UFC career at welterweight.
The Russian entered UFC 219 off a win over Abdul Razak Alhassan, and was on a two fight win streak overall. Vettori, meanwhile, was coming off a win over Vitor Miranda in July. He was 2-1 in the UFC to date.
Omari Akhmedov opened the action with a kick, while Vettori pressed forward, holding the center of the octagon. A powerful kick to the body landed for Vettori; Akhmedov, meanwhile, was loading up on his right hand. A knee connected by Vettori as Akhmedov came in. The pair were really starting to swing as the round wore on, and Vettori found himself with his back to the fence. Akhmedov landed a big left that stunned Vettori. He escaped, but would eat another left moments later. Trapped against the cage, he couldn’t seem to find a way out. Omari Akhmedov would ease off the gas a little, perhaps concerned about punching himself out. He’d still clip Vettori with a left, and continued to pressure his opponent.
Changing things up a little Akhmedov would shoot for a takedown in the final minute of round one. Vettori would stuff the attempt. He’d threaten with a knee to buy himself some space. He’d need to do more than threaten moving forward, however.
Akhmedov connected with a crashing right hand early in round two, picking up where he left off. Vettori, however, managed to lock in a triangle as the pair went to the ground. Akhmedov was able to break free, but wouldn’t make much happen in top position. Vettori forced his way back to his feet. The pair would trade back-and-forth throughout much of the second. Both seemed to have slowed a bit, with fatigue clearly setting in. Vettori continued to eat a left hook, but there seemed to be less on it. He pushed Akhmedov up against the fence to catch his breath, and they’d finish out the round and head to the third.
Round three opened with Vettori landing some big shots early. Akhmedov answered back, and the bout’s potential outcome was quickly becoming a case of who had more left in the tank. After losing his mouthpiece, which resulted in a brief pause in the action Akhmedov unleashed a spinning back fist. Vettori answered with a kick to the body. A high kick to the head then stunned Akhmedov, and Vettori followed up with a combination. Vettori scored a knee to the body; Omari Akhmedov looked for a takedown only to have Vettori land on top of him. Vettori looked for a finish, dropping elbows, but it went to the final bell. A close bout, with Vettori coming on strong in the third. One judge saw it for him, while the other two had it even.
Marvin Vettori vs. Omari Akhmedov ends in a majority draw (28-28, 29-28, 28-28)
