LONDON, United Kingdom — Whether or not the feeling is mutual or even justified when things get personal inside the cage can take a fight to another level, but UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori ( Marvin Vettori captured that feeling at UFC 286.
“This game is personal to me in a way, like I’ve never lost two in a row, and that won’t be the case (this Saturday). I can’t wait to get out there and put on a show A good show,” Vettori told reporters, including Cageside Press, on Wednesday.
Vettori (18-6-1) mentioned that the game was personal to him, saying it was about not wanting to lose two in a row. However, it turned out that Vettori and his rival Romain Dorizzer had previously trained together, making it an individual contest for the “Italian Dream”.
“Although in a sense it’s also a bit personal for Reigns because we did train together before. We have some good friends in common and he took the fight without hesitation. Of course, if you Take the fight, they come back to me, they tell me you take the fight, then I definitely don’t shy away from the fight,” Vettori said.
“I wouldn’t say we’re like friends, but you know we’ve had a couple of flings at the same time. At the end of the day, we’re not here to be friends. I totally get it. Honestly, I can’t wait to do that.”
A period of training together at Kings MMA and a mutual friendship with UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze made Vittori’s fight even more personal.
“They went well for me (training with Dolize) as I’m sure you know,” Vettori said.
“He’s in my department and I’m going to go out and smash him.”
Watch the entire media day panel with Marvin Vettori above. He takes on Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.
