Robert Whittaker sees Jared Cannonier being too much for Marvin Vettori.
Former title challengers Cannonier (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) and Vettori (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) square off in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 46 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Having defeated both men in five-round unanimous decision wins, Whittaker thinks Cannonier and Vettori’s approaches may nullify each other.
“I just have a feeling this fight’s not gonna be super high output,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “I think they’re both gonna have a lot of respect for each other. I feel like they counter each other really quite well. Marvin Vettori wants to bully his opponents. He wants to get in their face, bully them, box them up, take them down.
“I don’t think he’s gonna be able to do that to Jared, because Jared is just too powerful. He’s too well rounded. He’s gonna be ready for that. But I don’t think Jared’s explosiveness and big shots are gonna be enough to stop Vettori, to put him away, to push Vettori back.”
Whittaker doesn’t see Cannonier finishing Vettori but predicts he’ll beat him on the scorecards.
“I think Jared will win by decision, because I can see him landing effective shots, good kicks, good punches, and kind of stopping Vettori from moving forward,” Whittaker said. “Stopping Vettori from getting in there and turning it into a dog fight, which he loves so much.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
