Perhaps the most intriguing match up on this Saturday’s Fight Night card is the co-main event between middleweight prospects Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori. Many casual UFC fans would be quick to admit that they have never heard of Vettori before though.
So who’s the man they call “The Italian Dream”?
Well, he currently posts a (14-4-1) record and is on a two fight win streak heading into this weekend. Yet it was in a loss and a draw where Vettori asserted his deserved belonging in the UFC.
On April 18, 2018 Vettori fought the current middleweight champ Israel Adesanya to a tough split-decision loss. Grant it, it was just Adesanya’s second fight in the UFC, but Vettori fought a great fight against a guy who is now considered as one of the best in the world.
Vettori had success chopping away at Israel with leg kicks and constant forward pressure. He also was superior when the fight went to the ground as he was able to secure and hold top position for some time. Again, that was a lesser version of the current Israel Adesanya, but Vettori deserves a plethora of credit for that performance.
On December 30, 2017 “The Italian Dream” fought a Russian stud by the name of Omari Akhmedov (17-4 at the time of match). At just 24 years old heading into the fight, Vettori weathered the storm early and displayed confident striking while moving both forward and backward.
The judges scored the contest a majority draw, but it was evident that Vettori could hang with quality UFC middleweights at a young age.
While the two aforementioned bouts likely raised Vettori’s stock at the time, I think that even he’d agree that the time for moral victories is over and it’s time for some big wins.
He has a chance to secure a quality win this Saturday against fellow up and comer Karl Roberson. Vettori has exuded a lot of confidence as he heads into this fight as the betting favorite.
If he does earn a victory over Roberson, Vettori could potentially face a top 15 opponent next which will get him trending towards contendership.
Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori is a name worth knowing heading into the UFC Fight Night: Eye vs. Cavillo event this Saturday.
