Vettori On Looking Bad During Four-Fight Skid

Marvin Vettori cannot bring himself to watch his recent fights.

The former UFC middleweight title challenger meets Ismail Naurdiev on Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City looking to end a four-fight losing streak, his longest since joining the promotion. Vettori has not won inside the cage since beating Roman Dolidze in March 2023, and reviewing tape from that stretch has become painful.

Vettori Admits Struggles During Losing Streak

Vettori told MMA Fighting's José Youngs that he forced himself to study his most recent loss before pulling out of the original June booking against Naurdiev due to a broken rib. The experience left him frustrated with what he saw on screen. He singled out three of his past four defeats as fights where he handed his opponents victories rather than being outclassed, the lone exception being his loss to Jared Cannonier.

Despite remaining unfinished and earning two Fight of the Night bonuses during the skid, the Italian middleweight acknowledged he looked stiff and timid in the cage. His most recent outing was a unanimous decision loss to Brunno Ferreira at UFC 323 in December.

Vettori relocated from Florida to California for this camp and requested the Naurdiev fight be rescheduled as soon as he recovered from a back procedure that addressed a hernia. The 33-year-old said he still believes he can become UFC champion, though he knows it is a long shot after four straight losses. UFC 332 takes place Saturday with Vettori and Naurdiev competing on the main card.

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• MMA Fighting — Marvin Vettori: ‘I look like sh*t’ during losing streak ahead of UFC 332