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5 Things You Need to Know About Marvin Vettori

Published 12/02/2020, 9:30 AM EST

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Marvin Vettori is set to fight top middleweight contender Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night this weekend. “The Italian Dream” is currently on a three-fight win streak, with his last loss coming against current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in a split decision.

He is the only fighter ever to win against “The Last Stylebender” on the judge’s scorecard. In his 20 fight career, Vettori has managed to get 15 wins and 1 draw. Furthermore, he has never been finished in his pro-career.

Before Vettori’s fight at this weekend’s UFC on ESPN 19 main event, we take a look at 5 things you need to know about him.

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1. Marvin Vettori started training MMA at 13

Vettori was born in Trento, Italy. The eldest of three siblings, he started training martial arts at the age of 13. Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua are some of his inspirations. Watching them compete in PRIDE FC on TV inspired Vettori to start training mixed martial arts seriously.

2. Vettori almost got into a fight in a hotel lobby against his opponent

Vettori was scheduled to fight Karl Roberson back in May 2020. But, the scheduled bout got canceled as Roberson had health issues regarding weight-cut and had to be hospitalized.

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Later on, when Roberson and his team were checking out of the fighters’ hotel, an emotional Vettori confronted them aggressively. He was also calling out Roberson for a fight as well. The duo eventually fought in July, with Vettori finishing his opponent via an opening-round submission.

3. Marvin Vettori will fight in his maiden UFC main event

Vettori debuted in the UFC back at the famous McGregor vs Diaz 2 card. Since his promotional debut back in 2016, the Italian has fought 8 times in the UFC. He has put together a 5-2-1 record, but he has never been part of the main event.

The fight against Jack Hermansson will be his first five-round fight in the promotion and his professional career. ‘The Italian Dream’ wasn’t supposed to be part of the main event, but one fighter’s misfortune benefited him. As Kevin Holland had to withdraw due to a positive COVID test, Vettori got his first opportunity to headline a UFC card against a top contender.

He was moved from the UFC 256 card with the aforementioned Holland replacing him against Jacare Souza.

4. Vettori is a former Venator FC champion

Vettori fought in the European circuit before joining the UFC. He fought five times at Venator FC  and reigned as the welterweight champion. The Italian fighter came into the UFC with a pro record of 10-2. Now, he has stretched that record to an impressive 15-4-1 with his only draw coming against top middleweight Omari Akhmedov at UFC 219.

5. Vettori trains under Mark Munoz

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Vettori trains 6 days a week, two sessions a day to keep himself in fight shape always. This is what helped him accept a fight almost a week before his previously booked one.

Rafael Cordeiro is his striking coach; Mark Munoz serves as his coach for cage work and wrestling drills. It’s needless to say he is under good guidance with such experienced coaches at his disposal.

Vettori is a promising fighter and he will be looking to get to the top of the UFC middleweight division. “The Italian Dream” believes there’s unfinished business between him and current champion Israel Adesanya.

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How would Vettori fare against Jack Hermansson on this weekend’s main event? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Apratim Banerjee

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Apratim Banerjee is an MMA author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters.
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