LAS VEGAS – Four years into his UFC run, Italian middleweight Marvin Vettori has been pining for a big opportunity. On Saturday night, he gets it.
“I’m super happy,” Vettori told MMA Junkie. “My whole journey comes down to an opportunity like this. It’s not a title fight, but this will get me higher ranked and right there in the mix. It comes down to opportunities, and I live for an opportunity like this, so I’m super happy.”
Vettori (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) was prepping for a UFC 256 clash with Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, when a different opportunity came along. “The Italian Dream” said his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, gave him the surprise news that the UFC wanted him to headline UFC on ESPN 19 against Jack Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC).
“I was training last Friday night, and I saw three or four missed calls from my manager, Ali, and a message that said, ‘Call me right away,’” Vettori recalled. “I’m always tripping out when he calls me that many times. A lot of times, it’s bad news. Right away, I called him, and he said, ‘Oh, you’ve got a great opportunity.’”
Vettori said he briefly considered whether or not moving up his schedule one week would complicate his weight cut, but quickly delivered his reply: “Let’s do it.”
“We’ve had to go a little hard for these few days, but I actually feel really good, and the weight is really good,” Vettori said. “I don’t think I’m going to have a hard weight cut. I was still training for high-level grappling and solid standup. From that standpoint, I feel like Jack Hermansson is a better matchup for me. He brings higher intensity, higher energy, higher pace to the fight. But in terms of being concerned with certain situations, I would be more aware of ‘Jacare’ in some positions than I would be with Jack Hermansson. And the pace, it’s never been a problem for me.
“I expect him to come out hard. He will come out hard, and I will come out hard, and I’ll be ready for war. I expect nothing less. It’s going to be a good fight.”
The upside for Vettori is massive, and a win would represent his biggest to date. It doesn’t come without challenges, of course. Preparing for a top contender with just a week’s notice isn’t easy, but Vettori thinks he’s ready for the test despite the time crunch.
“You can never put together too detailed of a game plan, anyway,” Vettori said. “I don’t think that’s the right way to prepare for fights. I’m into wars and things like this, and even with strategic plans, you have to be ready and be able to make quick adjustments. You have to have an overall idea of how the fight is going to go and how things are going to play out and try to predict as much as you can, even though it’s really hard. I feel like it comes down to predicting the best skills someone will have, but then be ready and let it play out.
“I know how it’s going to play out, more or less. But at the end of the day, you can never be sure. For all I know, he could come out southpaw. But guess what? If he does, I’ll make the adjustments. I know how to fight a southpaw. You can never completely predict how the guy will come out, but you have to be game. That’s why we fight at the highest level.”
Vettori currently is an honorable mention selection in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, while Hermansson sits at No. 5. Just how far Vettori would rise up those charts with a win remains to be seen, but the 27-year-old contender knows it would provide a massive boost to his career.
“I don’t think too much about it, now, but one thing’s for sure: I’ll be right there in the mix,” Vettori said. “People will have to respect my name. I’m right there.
“When we talk about title contention, my name will be mentioned, too. I’ll be right there, and that’s all that matters for now. I know that. And I know before all that, though, I need to smash this guy. That’s where my focus is now.”
It’s a risk-reward scenario for Vettori, who has been itching for a breakthrough opportunity. Delivering won’t come easy, but Vettori thinks a memorable performance awaits.
“You’ll see a high energy fight,” Vettori said. “I watched his last few fights that were five-fives, and he comes out pretty high energy. He doesn’t really care about managing his energy. By nature, I come out very intensively, very high energy. So I think from the get-go, it will be a back-and-forth fight. The more the fight will go on, I’ll be too much for him, I think. You’ll see me take over with every minute that goes by. Then an occasion will rise, and I’ll take it.”
UFC on ESPN 19 takes place at UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
Marvin Vettori on UFC on ESPN 19: ‘My whole journey comes down to an opportunity like this’
