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Andrew Sanchez is not interested in exchanging barbs with Marvin Vettori, but he warns his UFC Vancouver opponent not to underestimate him.
Andrew Sanchez has an issue with how Marvin Vettori is promoting their UFC Vancouver bout.
Sanchez (11-4) criticized his opponent for talking trash in a recent interview. “It’s unfortunate and I refuse to play that role. You know, spewing out generic bulls—t. I heard Vettori — and I haven’t looked up much about what he has to say — but a short little interview saying ‘I’m fighting Sanchez’ and why. It’s just the most generic, ‘I’m going to finish him in two rounds, I’m Mr. Tough Guy.’ It’s like he has nothing better to say. It’s kind of obnoxious to me and I don’t want to drop to that level,” Sanchez told Kajan Johnson and Shakiel Mahjouri on the Pull No Punches podcast.
“No, it’s not going to be an easy fight. You’re not just going to come and beat the s—t out of me and finish me. It’s evenly matched, it’s going to be close and back-and-forth and we’re both going to be tested.”
Trash talk is something Sanchez is all too familiar with. He beat Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Ottawa. The two subsequently trained together as Barriault prepared for his fight with Krzysztof Jotko at UFC 240. Around this time, Barriault told Bloody Elbow’s Nick Baldwin that he would beat Sanchez eight-out-of-10-times—despite being sparring partners.
“We trained prior and then he came to get ready for his Jotko fight. He’s a big strong guy and my weight. Conrad’s like, ‘Go ask him for a round.’ It’s a little uncomfortable because I just fought the guy but we did some rounds. No problems,” Sanchez reflected. “I don’t understand, I don’t know… I won two rounds clearly. Even the rounds that I lost, I was winning three minutes of that round, he won two minutes of it. And yeah, he f—ked me up in those two minutes but at the end of the day you win two out of three rounds you win the fight. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Sanchez was originally scheduled to fight David Branch at UFC Vancouver. He admitted the fight with Vettori was an unfavorable replacement, as Sanchez is exchanging one tough fight for another, but without an equal exchange in star power.
“I was bummed out at first because David Branch is ranked and is a huge name. He’s coming off two losses and we’re thinking maybe he’s put that curse on himself,” Sanchez shared. “It seemed like a perfect scenario, a launching pad… All of a sudden I get a f—king text from my manager saying, ‘call me…’ Sure enough Branch is out and I start yelling and screaming, ‘God f—k, God damn it.’”
Sanchez and Vettori meet at UFC Vancouver on Saturday, Sept. 14. The event is headlined by a potential Fight of the Year bloodbath between Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje.