Former UFC middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori has said that he is a tough match-up for current UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
The former middleweight title contender isn’t ready to give up on his hopes of holding the UFC crown, and now that he’s back in the winning column, he doesn’t believe he’s too far away from another title contest. Roman Dolidze was defeated by unanimous decision in the opening match of Saturday’s UFC 286 pay-per-view main event by Marvin Vettori (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC).
“I believe I still need a few more fights, and I don’t mind that,” Vettori said at the UFC 286 post-fight news conference. “Of course, the way I am, I want to rush to the title, and for sure (champion Alex) Pereira would be a great fight for me. And listen, I’m right there. When you’re in the top five, it doesn’t matter if you’re No. 1, 2 or 3. You’re in the top five.
“The occasion arises, and you have some momentum behind you, you can catch that occasion and win that fight. There are a lot of examples of that. So we’ll see how this fight between (former champ Israel) Adesanya and Pereira plays out. Obviously, (Robert) Whittaker is there – but I’m there. The moment you send me a contract, you can count on me showing up. You can count on me 100 percent. There’s never been a time when I back out from a fight.”
Marvin Vettori believes he is a tough match-up for Alex Pereira
Marvin Vettori believes that he would make a difficult opponent for the Brazilian in a possible battle with Pereira. He perceives a skilled fighter with weaknesses in his strategy that he believes he can exploit.
“He’s less acclimated to MMA, but still, he’s getting there,” Marvin Vettori said. “I think they’re giving him more time to get there. With that being said, I think I believe I’m a very good matchup because I can definitely mix it up in the wrestling, and he’ll struggle with that.
“I like him as a champion, way more than Adesanya. I like the Adesnaya fight, too. We’ll see, line them up. The only guy I didn’t fight in the top 10 is (Jared) Cannonier. Maybe that’s what’s next. But listen, if someone gets injured, I’ll be right there. I want to be active, and I’m going to stay ready. And if I have the chance to fight Pereira, you can count on me for sure.”