It’s deja vu all over again this week for Marvin Vettori. Another fight, another opponent dropping out ahead of UFC Vegas 23. “This is more normal than actually having a fight with the same opponent showing up, and fighting the same opponent you were supposed to fight,” Vettori quipped during the event’s media day this week.
Stepping in to face Vettori in the main event of the ABC card is Kevin Holland. “A little adjustment has been done, I’m ready to go, and at the end of the day, I don’t care who’s going to be in front of me,” stated Vettori. “I’m ready.”
Vettori is at a crossroads in his career, having made the jump from mid-card talent to main event fighter in the past year. UFC on ABC 2 will be the second straight main event for the Italian. In the first, he put on a career-making performance against Jack “The Joker” Hermansson. The second was supposed to come against Darren Till, of course, in what could have been looked at as a title eliminator.
Which brings about the question: at such a critical point in his career, was Vettori really willing to fight anyone to save the UFC Vegas 23 card? Within reason seems to be the answer.
“I wouldn’t have fought a guy they signed yesterday, but any top 10 at this point,” said Vettori. In the end, the decision making process comes down to more than just himself. “People don’t realize, there’s a lot of work that goes on behind a fight. It’s not just my work, it’s all my team’s work, King’s MMA work. I have to give back to these people too.”
It’s also not about the name in the end, either. “At the end of the day, I think it’s more about the performance I’m going to put on than the opponent. Derek Brunson got pushed up so high in the rankings by beating [Holland] not even in a great way,” Vettori observed. “So I go out and do me, I’m going to be right there next in line I think.”
Till vs. Vetttori had a certain feel about it. While nothing is ever etched in stone when it comes to title shots in the UFC, the winner would certainly have been a front-runner to face Israel Adesanya next. Vettori vs. Holland is a different sort of animal — but the Italian feels the result should be the same if he wins.
“We’ll think about the after, after. But I’m next. I’m next,” he stated. “Because these guys can’t make it. By default, I need to take their spot. By default. You’re not there to defend your spot. You’re not there to defend anything.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 23 media day appearance by Marvin Vettori above.
