It may not have been Darren Till, but Marvin Vettori nonetheless scored a big win on Saturday as he cruised past replacement opponent Kevin Holland via unanimous decision in the latest UFC Fight Night main event.
A broken collarbone ruled out Britain's Till less than a fortnight before what would have been a showdown with big middleweight contendership ramifications, but the Italian stayed focused and took all three judges' cards by identical scores of 50-44.
Many expect to see Vettori vs. Till once both men are healthy again, while Holland — who admirably took the fight less than a month after losing to Derek Brunson — now has a two-fight losing streak to address.
In chief support, Arnold Allen put forth a commanding two-round performance before Sodiq Yusuff rallied in the third and final segment, leading to three scorecards of 29-28 in favour of the Ipswich fighter. Allen's impressive win streak continues in the featherweight ranks as a result.
Elsewhere, the heavy-handed Julian Alvarez decked Sam Alvey before locking in a rear-naked choke for the submission in round two of their battle, while Mackenzie Dern put Nina Nunes away via armbar in the closing stages of the opening round in their encounter.