‘The Italian Dream’ is looking to earn his first win inside the Octagon since March of 2023 when he returns this weekend.
In fact, the last man that Marvin Vettori defeated was his next opponent, Roman Doldize, with the two middleweights running it back in the main event of UFC Vegas 104.
It has been a long time since we last saw Vettori in action with a 20-month hiatus following his decisive loss to Jared Cannonier in June of 2023.
With the #8-ranking next to his name, the 31-year-old hasn’t fallen that far down the pecking order meaning that a win could put him right back at the top of the division.
Aside from a brawl that Vettori had with Brendan Allen at a PFL event, it has been so long since he last threw down that Saturday night at the Apex can be a reintroduction of sorts for the former title challenger.
Marvin Vettori jokes that a loss at UFC Vegas 104 would be Nina Drama’s fault
Ahead of his long awaited return to the Octagon, Marvin Vettori addressed one factor that could impact him on March 15.
It has become standard fight week affair for the headliners of any particular card to sit down for an interview and to film some content with social media star Nina Drama.
Vettori has been a recurring guest in her content with a great relationship and sense of humor between them usually leading to some funny moments, whether it’s in reference to the middleweight’s infamous backwards shorts incident or his dislike of Olive Garden.
During their recent training video, Nina presented ‘The Italian Dream’ with a contract which meant that she could not be held accountable for the result on Saturday night after fans had suspicions around the ‘Nina Drama UFC curse’.
Whilst her content has featured plenty of fighters that went on to win their bouts, she doesn’t want to take the fall for any losses or mishaps, which became a talking point when Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from UFC 311.
“So I’ve created a contract that says there’s no Nina Drama curse and if you lose, it’s your fault.”
Vettori responded later on in the video by clearly stating that he isn’t going to sign the contract and that Nina would be to blame if he suffers a second consecutive loss this weekend.
“If I do end up losing, it’s not gonna happen, but it’s her fault.”
A loss would set Marvin Vettori back significantly
Having already beaten Roman Dolidze just two fights ago, a loss at UFC Vegas 104 would put Marvin Vettori in a difficult position following his time out.
The top 10 contender previously mentioned some of the other names he was being potentially matched with as rising middleweights with potential looked to earn the biggest wins of their careers.
However, this is not the case in the Dolidze rematch with the Georgian being five years older than his former foe.
If the Nina Drama curse is real and does decide to hang over Vettori, it could mean more for his career than just another loss on the record.