Athletes
Marvin Vettori Expects Nothing But The Best From Himself
Looking To Start Another Run To A Title Shot, Marvin Vettori Is Seeking A Statement-Making Performance At UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier
Despite the grind that comes with a fight camp, those six to eight to 12 weeks can also provide a sense of structure for an athlete. Each day, they work toward performing well on fight night and moving up the ladder on the way to their ultimate goals. Marvin Vettori is no different, and even as the Italian middleweight contender climbed the rankings at 185 pounds, he never got picky when it came to the fights he accepted.
“Sometimes right after a fight, I find myself in the house like, ‘What the f**k am I doing?’” Vettori told UFC.com. “I feel like there's no sense of purpose. You just get used to being on like this. It's not nice to be there, but then you miss it when you're not in there.”
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview | Main Event Preview
He is, to put it concisely, about this life, and has been since he made the move from Europe to Southern California, where he trained at Kings MMA for several years. After climbing to a title shot and rematch against Israel Adesanya, Vettori fell short. After splitting his next two fights against Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker, Vettori elected to move to Las Vegas and link up with the people at Xtreme Couture.
“The Italian Dream” responded to the change well and picked up a nice, bounce-back win over the surging Roman Dolidze in London at UFC 286.
“I just felt like I needed different stimulus, let's say,” Vettori said. “I knew Vegas was the next option because of bunch of reasons. Good sparring partners, good coaches. The (UFC Performance Institute) … I think it was the right move. I'm much more relaxed. I have time to do a lot of things that before I didn't have the time to do.”
Full UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 Roster Announced
With a stable of fellow middleweights like Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis and Edmen Shahbazyan with whom to train, Vettori preprared for yet another Top 5 matchup in the form of Jared Cannonier.
The fellow former title challenger rebounded after losing to Adesanya at UFC 276 with a split decision win over Strickland to end 2022. With “The Last Stylebender” back on top of the division, both men need to string together a handful of big-time wins if they want any hint of an opportunity to challenge for UFC gold again.
That said, Vettori is doing what he can to focus on the moment and let the chips fall where they may. All he is in control of is his performance on Saturday, where he knows he has a stiff challenge in the form of the ageless Cannonier.
“He doesn't age for sure like a normal human being,” Vettori said of his 39-year-old foe. “ I saw him (Tuesday), like, ‘Jesus, that guy doesn't look 39,’ but yeah, on paper, he's like that.
Your 2023 International Fight Week Checklist
“He's not a pushover. He's definitely a good fighter, so he's not going to make a novice mistake or not (fight in) an area where he's lacking. I'll definitely have to just find my fight and bring the fight where I want to bring it. I’m sure the more the fight goes on, I'll take over.”
Vettori said the focus of this camp was staying “sharp” mentally and physically. A measured powerhouse like Cannonier will test his patience, as any lapse can result in a window for Cannonier to rack up his 11th professional knockout.
Against Dolidze, Vettori fought with great discipline, never giving his opponent a real chance to get a rhythm in the fight. It was a performance that displayed his experience in high-level fights, and it’s one you like to see from a fighter defending their spot amongst the elite in the division. The fight against Cannonier provides Vettori another opportunity to distance himself from the rest of the weight class, and he hopes he can do enough to get people buzzing about his title chances sooner rather than later.
“I want to show that I leveled up and that I'm ready for another title run,” he said. “All my focus is just to go out and put on a great display of great fighting and get a dominant win, whether a finish or not, and just show that I can get back to title contention.”
Given the fact that Vettori is 14 fights into his UFC career and has already established himself as one of the true workhorses at the top of the middleweight division, it’s easy to forget his is still on the right side of 30.
All things considered, he has accomplished plenty just at the start of his fighting prime, but as one would expect, Vettori isn’t giving himself any flowers just yet. There are more goals to accomplish, and a shiny gold belt he needs wrapped around his waist.
“I envisioned that (success),” he said. “I wanted to be the best to me. I still fell short. I wanted to be champ by 30, so I fell short on that, but I'm definitely far from done, so I still have a lot to accomplish. I always set my goals for myself, and I keep rising to the standards (I set).
“I expect nothing less than that, to be honest.”
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on June 17, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
Tags
