With UFC on ESPN 10 win, Marvin Vettori finds peace after tumultuous months

It was a long road for Marvin Vettori to finally get back inside the octagon Saturday at UFC on ESPN 10.

By picking up a first-round rear-naked choke submission victory over bitter rival Karl Roberson, Vettori (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) might’ve vindicated at least a portion of his recent sacrifices. From numerous weight cuts, last-second fight cancellations, his home country Italy being rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, and a family tragedy, Vettori endured a lot.

“It’s great, man – after six months of hard work,” Vettori told MMA said at the UFC on ESPN 10 post-event news conference. “So much was going on back in Italy. Things were going crazy all around the world, (but) Italy got hit kind of first. A lot of things – my grandpa died. He passed away. A lot of things, man. (Roberson) pulled out (in May). In London, the guy pulled out. I was always ready (for) many guys. I always said yes.

“If I had to count all of the pounds I cut through these six months, I’d think I’d go like 100 maybe. So many times I went down close to 203 (or) 204. When I see 200, 201, I know I can make weight in a matter of a week. … I dropped (weight) three or four times throughout these times, plus two weight cuts. (There was) a lot of dieting in these six months. Man, it’s just sweet, man. It’s just sweet.”

Vettori dedicated the loss to his deceased grandfather. Vettori revealed he missed being with his grandfather at his time of death. Additionally, he was unable to support his loved ones back home.

“It was coming, but just the fact that I couldn’t be there was bad,” Vettori said. “It’s important being around in hard times. It was a long time coming in a sense. It wasn’t something out of nowhere. I wanted to be there. I couldn’t even be there for the funeral. I couldn’t see him. That’s what hurt me. In fact, I wanted to dedicate this win to him.”

The fight went according to plan, Vettori said. He wasn’t sure if it would be a knockout or submission, but finishing Vettori was exactly what he envisioned heading into the fight.

“I knew the fight would’ve gone this way,” Vettori said. “I didn’t know exactly if I was going to knock him out or submit him, but I knew he wasn’t ready to go all the way. I knew at one point he would’ve faded.”

As for what’s next, Vettori said he’s taking his journey to a UFC title one step at a time. Vettori acknowledged the rankings and his sole focus in life is fighting.

“I’m not a guy who gives a lot of credit to rankings, but I know I have to go through those to get a title shot,” Vettori said. “It’s still a long road, and so many things have been going on. That’s why I’ve been ready at any time for so long. I’m on a mission, man. These guys don’t get it. I know, coronavirus, safety, this, and that – but I think differently.”

The middleweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 10 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.