Marvin
Vettori returned to the win column at UFC
286, relying on his kickboxing to capture a unanimous decision
triumph over Roman
Dolidze in a featured middleweight bout at the O2 Arena in
London this past Saturday.
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While Dolidze spent the majority of the bout headhunting, “The
Italian Dream” was more well-rounded, and he racked up points
behind low kicks and punching combinations to the head. Vettori
knew Dolidze, who had finished his last three opponents, was a
dangerous adversary, but he was also confident that he was superior
in all aspects.
“I feel like I picked him apart with low kicks and the hands. From
the corner they told me don’t go toward the big overhand because
that was his biggest weapon,” Vettori said during a media scrum
after the bout. “He kind of got me a little bit in the first round,
but you know I ain’t gonna go anywhere. You’re not gonna get me out
of there. By now, people probably know that.
“I knew I was the better fighter, so I had to make some very big
mistakes to lose the fight. At the same time, he was a worthy
opponent and he was very motivated. Even though I kept telling
myself don’t think because you’re the better fighter to expect an
easy fight. I knew that wasn’t going to be the case.”
With seven wins in his last nine UFC appearances, Vettori is an
established commodity in the middleweight division. However, recent
losses to Robert
Whittaker and Israel
Adesanya make his path to the top of the division more
complicated.
“I believe I still need a few more fights [for a title shot], but I
don’t mind that,” Vettori said. “Of course, the way I am I want to
rush to the title. For sure, [Alex] Pereira would be a great fight
for me. I’m right there. We’ll see how this fight between Pereira
and Adesanya will play out. Obviously Whittaker is there. But I’m
there. The moment you send me that contract and I sign it, you can
count on me showing up.”
Pereira and Adesanya will square off in a middleweight title
rematch at UFC 287 next month. Pereira bested Adesanya in their
first meeting to capture the 185-pound belt, but Vettori believes
he has some skills that could give “Poatan” trouble if they cross
paths.
“In terms of skill set, they’re pretty similar, they’re both
strikers,” Vettori said. “Of course, Pereira is different in the
way that he fights, he’s more of a boxer, he’s more of a power
puncher. He’s even taller, he’s a bit bigger. He’s less acclimated
to MMA still, but he’s getting there. I think with more time he’s
getting there. With that being said, I believe I’m a very good
matchup because I could definitely mix it up with wrestling and he
would struggle with that.”
The way things currently stand, Vettori sees a showdown with fellow
former title challenger Jared
Cannonier as a viable next option. He’s also willing to be on
call if something happens to the originally scheduled UFC 287 main
event.
“We’ll see. Line them up,” Vettori said. “The only guy who I didn’t
fight yet in the Top 5 is probably Cannonier. Maybe that’s what’s
next. If somebody gets injured, I’m right there. I want to stay
active. If I have the chance to fight Pereira, you can count on me
for sure.”