Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Marvin Vettori

Round 1
The southpaw Vettori steps forward slinging straight punches, but before he can connect, he's poked in the left eye by the outstretched and open left hand of Carlos. Referee Mark Smith pauses the bout as Vettori steps away, blinking the damaged eye. After a few seconds and a visit with the cageside physician, Vettori says he's ready to continue. Carlos lobs out a leg kick and gets clipped on the jaw by Vettori's counter left hand. Vettori scores with a kick to the body; "Cara de Sapato" tries to shake it off. Seconds later, Carlos catches Vettori with another eye poke. Referee Smith warns the Brazilian, and the fight resumes without much of a pause. The next exchange sees Vettori poke Carlos in the left eye with an outstretched finger. Carlos says he can continue, and the ref issues a stern warning to both men to keep their hands closed. Carlos lands a hard outside leg kick, then one to the body as they hit the midway point of round one. Carlos latches on to a single, drives Vettori against the fence but can't spin him down. Carlos switches to a bodylock and holds Vettori on the fence to deliver some low knees. Vettori lands a few short punches, answered by a harder shot as Carlos releases to slug with a right. Carlos gets a rear waistlock with one minute left, turns the corner and converts it to a takedown. Vettori is back on his feet quickly, now defending a headlock/choke setup from Carlos. The Brazilian nearly drops to guard to try a guillotine, but instead thinks better of it and stands to keep Vettori on the fence for the final moments.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr.
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr.
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr.

Round 2
Carlos gets hold of an early single-leg, pushes Vettori backward and trips him to the ground. Vettori is back on his feet within seconds, now breathing with his mouth open as he swings forward with left hands. Carlos evades and resets to deliver another stiff kick to the body of the Italian. Vettori steps inside to grab a rear waistlock, but Carlos leans his weight against the fence to resist the takedown and stay standing. Vettori releases with three minutes on the clock, and now the middleweights meet back in the center of the cage. Vettori rushes forward with a left hand and Carlos drops levels as he backs up to the fence. Vettori looks for a guillotine, can't get it and instead forces Carlos to the ground. Vettori tries the choke again, but Carlos wags his finger and gives the referee a thumbs-up. Carlos slips out of a brief brabo choke setup and sits up against the fence, trying to slip around and take Vettori's back. Vettori flattens him out and begins scoring with left-handed ground-and-pound. Vettori stands and eats an upkick from Carlos, then kneels in the Brazilian's guard for a few seconds. Vettori stands again with 20 seconds left and spends the last moments kicking at Carlos' legs.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Vettori
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vettori
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Vettori

Round 3
Vettori lands a leg kick, one to the body, then rushes Carlos against the fence with a left hand. Carlos immediately spins Vettori against the cage with a bodylock, works for 30 seconds and then trips him to the floor. Carlos may be looking for an arm-triangle choke as he puts his weight on Vettori to flatten him out. Vettori frees his head and arm, rolls to his knees and tries to stand; Carlos manages to keep him down at first, but Vettori eventually gets to his feet. Carlos holds him on the cage, delivering knees to Vettori's legs at the midway point of the round. Vettori separates with two minutes left, and now the middleweights are back to striking in the center of the cage. Carlos' hands are low, inviting Vettori to come forward, but Vettori slips on a kick and has to scramble up before the Brazilian can capitalize. Carlos shoots for a single-leg on the fence with one minute left; he can't take down Vettori this time and has to settle for clinch strikes. After 20 seconds of work, Carlos completes the takedown and then spins to take the kneeling Vettori's back. Vettori blocks the back-take but absorbs a few left hands to the head, now a knee to the body. Carlos finishes the fight attempting a guillotine, and this one will go to the judges.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr. (29-28 Carlos Jr.)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr. (29-28 Carlos Jr.)
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Carlos Jr. (29-28 Carlos Jr.)

The Official Result
Antonio Carlos Jr. def. Marvin Vettori via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00