Marvin Vettori: Darren Till ranking makes no sense, Robert Whittaker interim UFC title fight appealing

To be clear, Marvin Vettori is happy to fight anybody in the UFC’s top-five middleweight rankings, but as he surveys the landscape, a few things stand out.

First, while he’s happy that his recent “Fight of the Night” win over Jack Hermansson was rewarded with a big move up the rankings, earning him the No. 5 spot in the UFC’s official list, Vettori (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) is a little confused how Darren Till (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) was boosted two spots and now sits at No. 4 and thinks the two might need to sort that out themselves.

“They just updated the rankings,” Vettori told MMA Junkie.
“They put Darren Till No. 4, which makes absolutely no sense; 1-1 in the middleweight division with a split-decision win and very inactive. I don’t know. Two fights in the middleweight division, being 1-1 with that win being a split decision, it don’t make no sense to be No. 4. But he’s ahead of me in the rankings, and if that comes to fruition as a fight, I would love that.”

As vaccines are starting to roll out globally to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Vettori said he hopes the world will start to open back up again very soon and loves the idea of facing Till in the headlining bout of the first UFC event in Italy but realizes there are many hurdles to clear before making that a reality.

“Maybe I’m just dreaming,” Vettori admitted.

Still, Vettori believes Till owes him some gratitude, if not a future booking.

“I want him to thank me for bringing him up two spots,” Vettori joked.

Of course, Till isn’t Vettori’s only option. Immediately after his fight at last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 19, the Italian middleweight called for a matchup with recent UFC title challenger Paulo Costa. Moments later, at the night’s post-fight press conference, he called for a rematch with current UFC champion Israel Adesanya.

With the Till callout in place now, as well, “The Italian Dream” wants to make it clear he’s not picking or choosing anything. He just wants to face the biggest names available on his way to the top.

“It’s just funny sometimes,” Vettori said. “I look and I see what I say sometimes. They keep asking me about these questions, and it’s pretty easy to recognize the way I am. Basically, every time they ask me, I’m like, ‘Yeah, just anybody in the top five is perfect.’ I basically said every name in the top five. Jared Cannonier was left out, and I’m like, ‘Man, Cannonier can get some love, too, if he wants it.’ If they offer me Cannonier, I’m not going to shy away from that challenge either.”

The one name that seems most appealing out of the bunch, though? Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (22-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC), who sits at No. 1 in the latest UFC rankings and is considered next in line for the title – though the timing of that potential bout is incredibly uncertain given that “The Reaper” is looking to return to action right about the time Adesanya is expected to move up to light heavyweight and challenge Jan Blachowicz for the 205-pound title.

“Whittaker, I think, would be the most legitimate test and legitimate fight to really determine the No. 1 contender, by far,” Vettori said. “But I don’t know what’s up with either him or ‘Izzy.’ I don’t know with either of them. Whittaker doesn’t seem motivated to fight – in a sense, to fight in general, but to fight especially Israel – but he is the No.1 contender. And then the other funny thing, the other four people are all coming off losses. It’s just weird the situation in the top five at the moment.”

Ideally, Vettori said, if Whittaker is holding out to compete for a title, and Adesanya’s future in the division is uncertain, how about an interim title fight?

“I’d like to fight Robert Whittaker,” Vettori said. “I think it’s a great test, and it really establishes myself without any kind of doubt. If Israel goes away, it could definitely be for an interim title because that would, without any doubt, determine the No. 1 contender spot.”

Time will tell. Adesanya is just now getting back to New Zealand after travel restrictions left him stranded in the U.S. for the past month, and a date with Blachowicz has yet to be made official. So in the meantime, Vettori is heading to Italy to enjoy the holidays with family but will remain in shape and aim for a spring return.

At that time, whether it’s Adesanya, Whittaker, Costa, Cannonier or Till, Vettori said it doesn’t matter. Just give him a fight that will get him closer to a UFC title.

“Ideally, March or April I’ll be ready,” Vettori said. “For now, I’m going to relax, breathe some really fresh air. I want to go into the mountains for a moment and refresh everything and go off social media for a few days, at least … and just refresh and start the year with a lot of energy and chasing that title for 2021.”