Sean Strickland calls Marvin Vettori “dumb” but admits he still has “all the potential in the world”
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland called Marvin Vettori “dumb” but admits that he still has “all the potential in the world.”
Vettori lost a unanimous decision to Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Vegas 75 last week in a bout where he took an obscene amount of damage. It was the kind of fight that could change the trajectory of a fighters’ career, and in the eyes of his training partner at Xtreme Couture, Strickland, it showed just how “dumb” and “stupid” Vettori is.
Speaking to The Schmo in a recent interview, Strickland criticized Vettori’s level of intelligence, but also compliment him on being tough, having hard, and having untapped potential that Strickland hope the Italian one day realizes.
“The problem with Marvin, you guys: Marvin’s dumb. Marvin’s stupid. If I went to Marvin and he put me in a position of power and I said, ‘Marvin, I want you to stand on one leg, just for five days and I think you’re still gonna win the fight,’ he would stand there on one leg for five days and not move. I just think Marvin needs to find a better short bus driver,” Strickland said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“You know what I’m saying? Right now, he’s on that short bus, and the people driving the short bus, they’re taking him in bad directions. I think if Marvin could find a better special needs helper, it will put him in the right direction. Marvin is a tough guy, great cardio, a lot of heart, stupid as f*cking dirt, but he has all the potential in the world. He just needs better voices,” continued Strickland.
Vettori will likely take the rest of the year off after the beating he took against Cannonier, and when he does return to the Octagon, the hope is he does so with a superior fight IQ. As for Strickland, he returns next Saturday at UFC Vegas 76 when he takes on Abus Magomedov in the main event.
Do you agree with the assessment Sean Strickland had about Marvin Vettori?
