Dominance MMA Management CEO Ali Abdelaziz has tipped UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori to hold gold before reaching the age of 30.
Vettori, who, like Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Islam Makhachev, is managed by Abdelaziz, has made 12 walks to the Octagon since joining the MMA leader in 2016, amassing an 8-3-1 UFC record.
During his time in the promotion, “The Italian Dream” has had his hand raised against names like Jack Hermansson, Kevin Holland, and Paulo Costa. But two of his three defeats came against reigning champion Israel Adesanya, the most recent of which saw the 28-year-old fall short of winning the title at UFC 263 last June.
Despite that, Vettori’s manager still sees big things for him, not just later in his career, but within the next couple of years. During an interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Abdelaziz suggested that Vettori will be sitting on the middleweight throne by the time he is 30.
“I truly believe that Marvin Vettori, still 27 (28), by the age of 30, Marvin will be a world champion,” predicted Abdelaziz. “Marvin Vettori’s a very, very young guy in the game. I’m trying to make him come down a little bit because he’s crazy. And one thing about Marvin Vettori that you cannot take away from him, Marvin Vettori will fight anybody, anywhere, anytime, if he’s halfway healthy.”
Vettori was scheduled to face former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 275, but the Australian withdrew due to injury. As it turns out, the Italian wasn’t without his own niggles in camp…
Abdelaziz: Vettori Was Willing To Fight Whittaker Injured
Further in the interview, Abdelaziz revealed that Vettori had been battling his own injuries while preparing to face Whittaker on June 11. He claimed that the #3-ranked contender was keen to prevent the UFC from finding out in order to keep the matchup together.
“Marvin Vettori was injured this whole camp, and he didn’t want me to say nothing to the UFC because he didn’t want to pull out,” revealed Abdelaziz.
Having failed to secure a replacement opponent for the Singapore-held pay-per-view, Vettori’s booking with Whittaker has been re-arranged for UFC Paris on September 3.
With both men having sufficient time to recover and enter the fight at 100%, Abdelaziz believes that the Aussie’s withdrawal was a “blessing in disguise” for his man.
“When Robert Whittaker pulled out, it was a blessing in disguise almost, in a way. But he was gonna fight regardless, in June,” said Abdelaziz. “But now, both guys healthy, we get the best fight from Marvin Vettori, and we get the best Robert Whittaker. Nobody has an excuse.
“I believe Marvin Vettori’s gonna come out on top and beat him,” added Abdelaziz. “He’s getting better everyday and he’s very scary right now. H’s very motivated.”
Having already rebounded from his five-round championship loss in 2021 with a memorable decision win against Costa last October, Vettori will be looking to move closer to another crack at dethroning “The Last Stylebender” at the expense of Whittaker.
Should he have his hand raised in France, “The Italian Dream” will certainly be on his way to bringing Abdelaziz’s prediction to life.
Do you agree with Ali Abdelaziz? Will Marvin Vettori become champion within the next two years?
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