UFC on ABC 2: Vettori vs Holland Main Card Odds, Preview, and Predictions

The UFC returns to its APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC on ABC 2 on Saturday, April 10th.

Marvin Vettori was supposed to fight fellow top-ranked middleweight Darren Till in the headliner. However, after Till suffered an injury, Kevin Holland agreed to step in and take the fight on short notice. In the co-main event, Arnold Allen and Yusuff Sodiq will face off in what could be the most explosive fight of the evening.

Let’s take a look at the main card and make our predictions:

Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland

Marvin Vettori is the 6th ranked middleweight in the UFC. The 27-year old known as the Italian Dream is a former Venator FC welterweight champion. Vettori is coming off a big win over Jack Hermansson last December and has won four straight bouts since a narrow points loss to current champion Israel Adesanya. Vettori has a record of 16-4 with two knockouts and nine submission wins. He stands six feet tall with a reach of 74 inches and is a southpaw.

Kevin Holland is the former KOTC middleweight champion and the 10th ranked middleweight in the UFC. TrailBlazer won five straight bouts at the APEX last year but suffered a five-round unanimous decision loss to Derek Brunson. He has a record of 21-6 with 12 knockouts and five submission wins. Holland is a massive 6-3 tall with a reach of 81 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Vettori is the more well-rounded fighter here. The 27-year old Italian has high-pressure striking and very good grappling and submission skills. Holland is coming off a loss to Derek Brunson but before that, he looked unstoppable with five straight wins at the APEX Facility. If Holland uses his athleticism and creative striking, he will be able to hang around and possibly beat Vettori. However, if he suffers another “mental blackout”, this is an easy win for Vettori.

Make no mistake, Holland is a better striker than Hermansson who took Vettori to his limits. However, Vettori’s takedown game could be a problem for TrailBlazer who couldn’t defend Brunson’s takedowns. I think Vettori has more ways to win here. If he can’t outstrike Holland, he can always take him down and do his damage on the mat. Give me Marvin Vettori.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori

Arnold Allen vs Sodiq Yusuff

Arnold Allen is the 10th ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 27-year old British fighter is undefeated inside the UFC octagon with seven victories. Allen however has not fought since January 2020. He has a record of 16-1 with five knockouts and four wins via submission. Allen is a southpaw who stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 78 inches.

Sodiq Yusuff is the no. 11 featherweight in the UFC. This 27-year old from Lagos, Nigeria earned his UFC contract via the Contender Series. Like Allen, Yusuff is undefeated in his UFC career with four victories. He is coming off a win over Andre Fili and has a record of 11-1 with six knockouts. Yusuff is 5-9 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Both fighters have very similar resumes but they fight very different styles. Allen is the better all-around fighter but Yusuff has the edge in power and is the more superior striker between the two. Yusuff will try to put the pressure on Allen early on while Allen might want to try and trade at first, he might have to resort to his ground game because of his opponent’s firepower. Yusuff has two knockouts in his last four bouts but Allen is the toughest opponent he has ever faced.

This should be a close fight that could go either way and if your sportsbook has a prop for this fight going the distance, go with that. But as to who wins this fight, I’ll give it to the fighter who can win it in more ways.

Prediction: Arnold Allen

Sam Alvey vs Julian Marquez

Sam Alvey fought for Bellator, KOTC, and MFC. He was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter season 16. He joined the UFC in 2014 and went 7-2 from 2016 to 2018. However, he has not won in his last five bouts with four defeats during that period. In his last bout, Alvey drew with Da Un Jung. He has a record of 33-14 with 19 knockouts and three submission wins. Alvey is a southpaw who is 6-2 tall with a reach of 75 inches.

Julian Marquez is a product of the Contender Series and is popular for his recent back and forth with Miley Cyrus more than anything else. The 30-year old known as the Cuban Missile Crisis is coming off a submission win over Maki Pitolo. He has a record of 8-2 with six knockouts and two wins via submission. Marquez is 6-2 with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Alvey is a very difficult fighter to take down and he has a very powerful right hook which has put many opponents to sleep. Unfortunately, he has a tendency not to do much except wait for the opportunity to land that right hook. Marquez is a wild thing. He always comes forward looking to land his big punches and throws them in bunches. He doesn’t have good defense and is willing to take some punches in order to land some of his own. Because of this Alvey should be able to connect with his money shot but Marquez has shown a granite chin. If Marquez can take Alvey’s best shot, he’s going to overwhelm Alvey and beat him with volume.

Prediction: Julian Marquez

Nina Ansaroff vs Mackenzie Dern

Nina Ansaroff is 5th ranked strawweight in the UFC. The 35-year old is coming off a loss to Tatiana Sanchez but won four straight bouts prior to that defeat. Ansaroff owns wins over Claudia Gadelha, Randa Markos, and Angela Hill. She has an overall record of 10-6 with four knockouts and two wins via submission. Ansaroff is 5-5 tall with a reach of 74 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Mackenzie Dern is the 11th ranked strawweight in the UFC. She is a former no. 1 ranked IBJJ competitor who won world titles at ADCC and no gi BJJ. The 28-year old from Phoenix, Arizona is has won three straight bouts after a surprise defeat against Amanda Ribas in 2019. Dern is 10-1 with six submission wins. She stands 5-4 tall with a reach of 63 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

When she last competed, Ansaroff displayed a high-level kickboxing game and showed good takedown defense. But after nearly two years off, it’s a mystery what is left of her. On the other hand, Dern is still very much a work in progress although she’s come a long way from her loss to Amanda Ribas. Still, her kickboxing is underwhelming and her wrestling is unproven. I won’t blame you if you pick Dern here but skills-wise, Ansaroff is better and despite taking a long break, I think she is still better than Dern.

Prediction: Nina Ansaroff

Mike Perry vs Daniel Rodriguez

Platinum is a former boxer who only had a one-fight ring experience. The 29-year old from Flint, Michigan Square Ring Promotions and Battleground before joining the UFC in 2016. He’s had a rough career inside the Octagon and has only three wins in his last nine bouts. Perry lost to Tim Means last November and he has a record of 14-7 with 11 knockouts. Platinum is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 71 inches.

Daniel Rodriguez competed for Combate Americas, Bellator, and KOTC before joining the UFC. The 34-year old Californian had won nine consecutive bouts before losing his last fight against Nicholas Dalby. He has a record of 13-2 with seven knockouts and four wins via submission. Rodriguez is a southpaw who stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 74 inches.

Perry has tons of natural talent. He hits very hard, has good timing on his counter punches, and has a durable chin. Unfortunately, he’s put those talents to waste with poor effort and lack of discipline. Meanwhile, Rodriguez looked lost the last time out against Nicolas Dalby’s striking range and refusal to stand and trade but prior to the fight, he looked impressive with three straight wins. In a perfect world, Perry wins this bout. But his inability to focus is too risky. I’m not sure he still has it anymore.

Prediction: Daniel Rodriguez

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