Tag: Marvin Vettori

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] has no doubts he’s the most deserving contender available for a UFC middleweight title fight.

Vettori (17-4-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to five fights on Saturday, when he beat Kevin Holland (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by unanimous decision in the UFC on ABC 2 main event. It was lopsided fight, with “The Italian Dream” winning every round on the scorecards.

Prior to the fight, Vettori made it clear he felt a win would put him next in line to challenge champion Israel Adesanya, who he fought to a split decision at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018.

Now, Vettori has no doubts that’s the fight to make.

“Five-win streak, I’ve accepted anybody at any time, always showing up, always making weight, never complaining about nothing, and I just beat these guys very dominantly,” Vettori told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ABC 2. “I leave no doubt. The last fight I had with Adesanya was the closest fight that he’s ever had, and in my eyes I still won it. It has to be made again.

“I’m next in line, and I deserve it. I was supposed to fight Darren Till. He didn’t how up. Now he’s out. I’m the most hungry, and I’m next. The winning streak that I’ve had, all my opponents have been solid. I’m next.”

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Vettori said he would ideally rematch Adesanya in September or October. His dream scenario would be for that fight to take place in his native Italy in front of a full crowd, but he’s not picky about that. He just wants the opportunity.

The nature of his win over Holland may serve as a hurdle to securing the championship fight he wants, though. Although he left no doubts about who was the superior fighter, Vettori’s wrestling-heavy approach left some viewers unenthusiastic.

Vettori, ultimately, doesn’t care what his critics have to say. He said the fight didn’t meet his own standards, but given the fact Holland was a different opponent than the one he prepared for throughout most of his camp in Till, he said he won’t be too hard on himself.

“I expect perfection,” Vettori said. “I expect me going out and breaking the guy. Sometimes I fall a little bit short of my expectations, but even still, that short is still a great performance, a very dominant performance.”

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LAS VEGAS – While a handful of UFC middleweight contenders all believe they have a case for why they’re most deserving of a crack at the title, [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] believes his is undeniable.

“I’m next because these guys can’t make it, man,” Vettori told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ABC 2 media day at the UFC Apex. “Like, by default I need to take their spot. You’re not there to defend your spot. You’re not there to defend anything.

“Like you’ve got that pen on that table. If you’re not there and you’re supposed to be there to defend that pen, and I’m coming, I’m taking the pen. You’re not there to defend it.”

It’s a rather simple concept, but one that has some merit. After all, Vettori was supposed to fight Darren Till at this weekend’s event, but a broken collarbone forced his opponent to withdraw from the card.

It’s a situation with which Vettori has become all too familiar in his march to the top of the UFC’s middleweight division.

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“I guess now this became almost normal,” Vettori said. “Like, this is more normal than actually having a fight with the same opponent – showing up and finding the same opponent that you were supposed to fight. But yeah man, a little adjustment has been done and I’m ready to go, and at the end of the day, I don’t care who’s who’s going to be in front of me, you know? I’m ready, and this time I knew I was going to fight five rounds, so iI prepared for five rounds, and the rest will be history.”

Vettori (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) now faces Kevin Holland (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in the headlining bout of Saturday’s card, which airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

Holland has recently endured heavy criticism following a subpar performance against Derek Brunson, but Vettori said he was willing to fight any ranked opponent, regardless of perceived momentum.

“People don’t realize, but there’s a lot of work going behind the
fight, and like, it’s not just my work – it’s all my teamwork, like Kings MMA work,” Vettori said “I need to give back to these people, too.”

Should he prove victorious, Vettori will put his name alongside the likes of former champion Robert Whittaker and recent title challenger Paulo Costa – not to mention contenders Jared Cannonier and Brunson – as fighters who believe they deserve a crack at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

But Vettori thinks his activity level and willingness to fight frequently make him the clear choice – a claim he plans on cementing on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, I think it’s more about the performance that I’m going to put on than than the opponent,” Vettori said. “Like Derek Brunson got pushed up so high in the rankings by beating this guy in like not even in a great way, so I go out and I do me, and you know I’m going to be right there next in line, I think.”

To see the full interview with Vettori, check out the video above.

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