Marvin Vettori gets his hand raised after defeating Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Vegas 16.
Marvin Vettori interested in fights with Darren Till and Robert Whittaker after UFC Vegas 16
Following his impressive unanimous decision victory over Jack Hermannson this past Saturday, Marvin Vettori has made it clear that he has his sights set on the top names at 185 pounds.
Prior to UFC Vegas 16, “The Italian Dream” often appeared bothered by the lack of attention he was receiving, but after securing a victory over the “The Joker”, who was previously ranked No. 4 in the division, in a fight he accepted on short notice, there’s no denying that Vettori has earned the right to be discussed amongst the middleweight division’s best.
Moving forward, Vettori’s main goal seems to be landing a rematch with current champion Israel Adesanya, whom he lost a split-decision to in 2018. He may still be a win or two away from a title shot, however, and if that’s the case, he has other names in mind.
One of those names is former welterweight title challenger Darren Till, who was originally scheduled to meet Hermansson this past weekend before withdrawing due to injury.
“Now the rankings just came out. Darren Till being No. 4, it’s a joke,” Vettori told MMAFighting. “Really, it’s a joke,” Vettori said. “But I think that would be a great scrap if we fight. After I beat somebody like Darren Till, I’ll be the only guy with two wins in the top five and I don’t know what will happen with Whittaker, but after that, I feel I will deserve a title shot. To be honest, I’m willing to fight anybody.”
In addition to Till, Vettori also mentioned former champion Robert Whittaker, who has picked up back-to-back victories over Till and Jared Cannonier since losing his title to Adesenya in stunning fashion in 2019.
“Me and Whittaker, I would love the fight,” he said. “I think legitimately [Whittaker is] the best after Israel and after me, the best in the division. He’s definitely a very good test. I would love to fight him. It will be good. In terms of legitimacy, I think that will be the most fair fight but a lot of times things they go in different ways. I don’t know. It also depends on what Israel is going to decide to do and what the UFC is going to decide to do with him. Like I said, I’m not going to pick and choose. They give me a couple of these guys, I’ll be right there. I’ll be right there ready to answer and f**k them all up.”
The 185-pound division is in a bit of an interesting place at the moment, making the immediate future of it unclear.
Whittaker, for example, is likely next in line for a title shot and UFC President Dana White has said himself that a rematch between him and Adesanya is of interest. The only issue, however, is that White also announced that Adesanya’s next fight would take place at 205 pounds against champion Jan Blachowicz. Because of those factors, a bout between Till and Vettori may make the most sense at this time, as the winner would find himself right in the mix for a middleweight title shot.
Regardless of what’s next, however, “The Italian Dream” Marvin Vettori has begun to make a name for himself and it doesn’t look as if he’ll be quieting down anytime soon.
