Vettori admits 'I looked like sh*t' as he targets end of four-fight UFC skid at UFC 332

Marvin Vettori has delivered a scathing assessment of his own recent performances ahead of his UFC 332 middleweight bout against Ismail Naurdiev in Salt Lake City on Saturday, admitting he could barely bring himself to watch footage of his last four fights.

The Italian contender has not won since defeating Roman Dolidze in March 2023, and the slide represents the worst run of his professional career. Reviewing that stretch has been a painful exercise.

“I cannot watch myself,” Vettori told MMA Fighting. “I look like shit. I was so f*cking pissed, I cannot watch it. I couldn’t throw a cross without falling down. I was stiff. It was not myself at all. I was timid, I looked like shit.”

Vettori was willing to give himself partial credit for the loss to Jared Cannonier, acknowledging a well-executed game plan from his opponent, but he was far harsher about the three fights that followed. “The last three fights, I feel like I handed out wins to my opponents, really,” he said.

Most recently, Vettori dropped a unanimous decision to Brunno Ferreira at UFC 323 in December. Despite the losing run, he has remained impossible to finish and earned Fight of the Night bonuses in two of those four defeats — a testament to his durability even as the results have gone against him.

The bout with Naurdiev was originally scheduled for June but was postponed after Vettori suffered a rib injury that also required back surgery. He was quick to request the rematch be reinstated once he had recovered.

“I asked right away when I felt good,” Vettori said. “I broke my rib, my back was bad, I had surgery on my back. It wasn’t super invasive, but it took away a hernia, so I was in a bad spot before the last fight scheduled before this one. The opponent was good with me even before, so I was like, let’s just re-book it if he’s free.”

Ahead of Saturday’s card, Vettori relocated from Florida to California to train, a change he believes will help him rediscover the form that once placed him among the top contenders at 185 pounds. Despite four straight defeats, his long-term ambitions remain unchanged.

“It’s a long shot, for sure, but I still believe in myself,” Vettori said. “I’ve grown a lot and I take it fight by fight, I don’t look too far ahead, but for sure that’s the goal.”