After injuries and shoulder surgery, UFC fighter Marvin Vettori made his comeback in a matchup with Roman Dolidze, and it did not go well.
We had a nice brawl in the early rounds, as each fighter threw a couple of hard hits at the other.
But as the match went on Dolidze grew stronger and stronger.
As a matter of fact, I thought (maybe hoped) Marvin took the fourth round off to explode in the fifth, drawing from his experience of five-round fights.
Nope.
Roman Dolidze just kept turning it on, and Vettori never really got it going.
In response to his loss, Vettori said, “Nothing too bad – just some cuts and bruises. F*ck, man. Life sometimes shows you that even when you give your heart out and everything you’ve got, you still fall short. That was a close fight. Almost had him in the third. But I guess it wasn’t enough. Yeah man. F*ck. I don’t even know what to say.”
If you go back and watch the fight, it’s clear Marvin’s mind was in it, but it seemed like his body wasn’t. The Italian fighter just couldn’t get into a rhythm or find any combinations.
That’s not a great sign for a fighter who’s only 31.
The question is, was what we saw just ring rust? Or is this the beginning of the end?
Maybe a five-round fight after being off due to injuries wasn’t the best idea.
Vettori is definitely going to drop in the rankings, but that may help him save face for now. When he fights next, he’s probably going to get an opponent who is not ranked, which is good for him because he’s still an elite fighter. But make no mistake: That next fight is going to be make or break.
For the first time in at least five years, Vettori will be ranked outside the top ten, and his answer wasn’t exactly confident.
“Thank you to ATT,” Vettori said. “The best in the world, bro. … Love you guys. Thank you, UFC. What the f*ck can I say, bro? I don’t know.”
