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The stakes will be high in the headliner of this weekend's UFC Vegas 16 event when Jack 'The Joker' Hermansson takes on 'The Italian Dream' Marvin Vettori. The winner of this fight is likely to be next in line for a crack at Israel Adesanya's middleweight title.
As we inch closer to the fight, let's take a closer look at the man they call 'The Italian Dream'.
Marvin Vettori is heading into the fight on the back of a hattrick of wins against Cezar Ferreira, Andrew Sanchez, and Karl Roberson. Vettori has a career record of 15-4-1 and is a former Venator Fighting Championship welterweight champion.
The 27-year-old fighter made his octagon debut on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202, and has a record of 5-2-1 in the promotion.
Some MMA fans might not know a lot about the man who could book his ticket to a title shot if he manages to get past 'The Joker' this week.
Therefore, let's go through 5 things you probably didn't know about Marvin Vettori.
#5 Mavin Vettori can become the first ever Italian champion in UFC history
If he manages to win a title clash inside the Octagon, Vettori will become the first-ever Italian champion in UFC history. And hopefully for his country and fans, usher in a new era of Italian dominance in the promotion.
When Vettori takes on Hermansson on Saturday, he will try to keep the Italian Dream alive as he tries to cross the penultimate hurdle towards becoming the first-ever Italian UFC champion.
Marvin Vettori recently took to Instagram to talk about how much a win against Hermansson matters to him and the Italian MMA scene.
“Years of sweat, blood and tears and it all comes down to big opportunities like this,” Vettori wrote. “Thank you Mick Maynard for the call. I’m ready for 5 rounds of war and I expect none of the less back. Italy will have a UFC world champion and one week from now we’ll show the world that it will happen.”
#4 Vettori stepped in on just 7 days' notice to face Jack Hermansson
It takes a lot of guts to take a crucial fight in just a week's notice but Marvin Vettori did just that when he stepped in to replace Kevin Holland against the No. 4-ranked UFC middleweight, Hermansson.
Marvin Vettori was initially set to face Jacare Souza on December 12 but after Kevin Holland tested positive for COVID-19, Vettori jumped on the opportunity to make a bigger mark against a higher-ranked fighter.
#3 Marvin Vettori was inspired by Fedor Emelianenko
Vettori started training in MMA at the young age of 13 and was inspired by watching the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s fight at PRIDE. Vettori said that it was only after watching these fighters that he started taking the sport and his training seriously.
#2 Vettori will get his first taste of a five-round fight inside the octagon this weekend
Since his debut in 2016, Marvin Vettori has fought eight times inside the octagon but has never been part of the main event. However, all that changes this weekend when he fights Jack Hermansson in the event-headlining middleweight encounter at UFC Vegas 16.
It's often said that fortune favors the brave and Vettori is reaping the rewards of stepping in on short notice as he gets his first five-round fight inside the Octagon.
#1 Marvin Vettori is the only person to have ever beaten Israel Adesanya on the judges' scorecard
On April 18, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29, Vettori took on reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Vettori ended up succumbing to a split decision loss but his stock only rose in defeat as it was the day when everyone in the promotion understood that the Italian can hang with the very best guys inside the Octagon.
Interestingly, Vettori happens to be the only person who has ever won on a judge's scorecard against The Last Stylebender.
