Marvin Vettori? Bitter?
Maybe … or maybe he just wants reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya — who registered two wins over “The Italian Dream” inside the Octagon — to get knocked out by Alex Pereira so badly that “The Last Stylebender” needs an oxygen mask to recover.
Kind of like he did at Glory of Heroes 7 in Brazil.
“Adesanya, it’s over, nothing excites me about that guy,” Vettori told reporters at the UFC Paris media day. “Of course, I’ll get my win against him before I’m done with all this, but the things that he can do best – now he’s painting his nails. I definitely like more Pereira and the way he carries himself and the way he goes about fighting and all that – not much bullshit, just straight, bad motherfucker type of thing, and that’s it. I really hope he goes out in another oxygen mask, and I think it can happen, because that’s going to be a kickboxing fight.”
Adesanya defends the middleweight title at UFC 281 in New York.
As for Vettori, he’ll throw leather against former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker in the UFC Paris co-main event this weekend at Accor Arena. A victory for “The Italian Dream” could put him close to another title shot, but only if Pereira prevails.
Which can also be said about Whittaker.
“I think Adesanya has no chance against Pereira,” former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira told Ag Fight. “Only if he’s on a bad day, then he may lose a decision. If Adesanya goes after him, though, trying to get payback for that knockout, he’s getting knocked out in the first round. Adesanya is a great fighter, but it does not matter. That style of his, of stepping in and out, ‘Poatan’ works the distance very well. The way he puts on pressure is different. Adesanya knows that. He’s a really strong guy.”
We’ll find out one way or the other on Nov. 12 in “The Empire State.”