Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa put on a strike fest – 4th most combined significant strikes in UFC history

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Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa landed a ton of strikes in their catchweight in the main event of UFC Vegas 41

The main event of UFC Vegas 41 featuring Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa delivered as expected.

The catchweight bout saw both the fighters go back and forth for five straight rounds from the word go.

While Vettori was head-hunting throughout the course of the fight, Costa went for the Italian’s body and legs.

Marvin Vettori vs Paulo Costa
Marvin Vettori vs Paulo Costa

The Brazilian was heavily dependent on brute force. There were times in the fight when Costa almost knocked Vettori out, but the ‘Italian Dream’s chin kept him alive.

Costa was deducted a point for his eye poke on Vettori early on in the fight.

In the end, Vettori emerged victorious via. unanimous decision, scoring 48-46 on all three judges’ scorecards.

An absolute strike fest saw total combined significant strikes of 353 being landed. According to UFC stats, this is the fourth-highest in the history of the UFC, and the highest in a fight not involving Max Holloway.

Earlier this year in January, Holloway landed a whopping 445 strikes against Calvin Kattar.

Paulo Costa channels his inner Conor McGregor at the post-fight presser

At the post-fight presser, Paulo Costa highlighted the effects of the leg kicks during his fight against Marvin Vettori.

He brought up Conor McGregor’s iconic line: “My foot was a balloon.”

Speaking during the after fight presser, Costa joked:

“My foot is a balloon.”

Following the fight, UFC President Dana White suggested that Costa should compete at light-heavyweight from this fight onwards.

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