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Nearly six percent of the American population are Italian, their ancestors having migrated in search of work and ‘The American Dream’. Marvin Vettori, a present-day personification of hard work and dedication, is the latest European attempting to conquer the UFC - it is no wonder that his nickname is ‘The Italian Dream’.
As Marvin Vettori attempts to become the first Italian UFC champion at UFC 263, let’s have a look at three reasons why he will become the new king of the middleweights.
#1 Marvin Vettori's win-streak
While Israel Adesanya has won every single one of his nine UFC middleweight bouts, his last UFC fight was a loss. ‘The Last Stylebender’ bit off more than he could chew when he moved up a weight class to fight light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz earlier this year.
Winning his last five fights, Marvin Vettori currently has the best active win-streak in the middleweight division. ‘The Italian Dream’ has gone from strength to strength since his split-decision loss to Adesanya in 2018, with four unanimous decision victories and an impressive rear-naked choke finish over Karl Roberson.
Marvin Vettori will bring supreme confidence to the fight at UFC 263, while Adesanya is looking for a way back into the win column after a failed LHW experiment.
#2 Marvin Vettori's resilience
‘The Italian Dream’ has never been knocked out in his entire professional MMA career. ‘The Last Stylebender’, on the other hand, was knocked-out as recently as 2017 - in his last kickboxing match before moving to the UFC. Even within the past 18 months Adesanya has shown signs of caution during fights, almost to the point of inactivity against Yoel Romero.
Vettori may not be the most technically gifted striker in the UFC, but his dogged determination and iron chin has made the Italian an incredibly resilient opponent inside the octagon - if he beats Adesanya it is difficult to see who could stop him in the middleweight division.
#3 Marvin Vettori's ground game
If there was a single thing for Marvin Vettori to take from their first fight it would be that Adesanya does not like being on the ground. The 31-year-old looked like an MMA amateur in the third round, spending most of it under 185lbs of Italian meat. Perhaps Jan Blachowicz was watching the fight closely before UFC 259, when he followed Vettori’s blueprint and smothered Adesanya.
In his recent five-round victory over Kevin Holland, Marvin Vettori showed a new maturity on the ground against an opponent with a lot of similarities to Adesanya. With the help of BJJ coach Romulo Barral, Vettori’s ground game continues to improve. If he scores an early takedown against Adesanya then the champion will be in serious danger of suffering deja vu from his last fight.
Since his MMA debut nine years ago, Marvin Vettori has gradually improved as a mixed-martial-artist. He is now one fight away from becoming the first Italian UFC champion. Many fans consider his opponent to be one of the pound-for-pound best; a win for the Italian may be the start of a long reign as king of the middleweights.
