According to reports, UFC is actively pursuing a fight between Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 in June. It is yet to be revealed whether it will be a 3 round or a 5 round fight.
Robert Whittaker just had another crack at the reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Although he was unable to get his hand raised in the end, some of the pundits have since made the argument that Whittaker won the fight.
Marvin Vettori too is in a similar position as Robert Whittaker. Having fought Adesanya twice, the chance of him fighting for the belt in near future seem very slim. In his last fight, Vettori defeated another top 185 lbs contender, Paulo Costa in October last year.
UFC is targeting a middleweight matchup between Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori on June 11, officials confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 11, 2022
Contracts have not been signed, but the bout is close to being finalized. pic.twitter.com/Nt140M1Vkd
The next fight for Izzy was seemingly set on the night of UFC 271 itself. UFC president Dana White seemed to have given his stamp of approval to Jared Cannonier in the press conference afterwards. Hence, a fight between ‘The Reaper’ and Vettori may put the winner in a very interesting place for a potential championship fight.
Robert Whittaker vs Marvin Vettori: a breakdown of the fight
Robert Whittaker recently teased a move down to welterweight. However, now it seems that he will continue to pursue his career in middleweight itself. And a potential win over Marvin Vettori will go a long way to get him to a third fight against the ‘Stylebender.’
Vettori went the full distance against the champ in June of 2021. Although he defeated Costa afterwards, a victory over the no. 1 ranked fighter will solidify his chances of a trilogy fight himself against Adesanya.
The question now becomes, who will win this much-anticipated clash? Stylistically it will be a very interesting match up. Both Whittaker and Vettori have great ground skills as both successfully took down Izzy in their respective fights. Hence, it may primarily become a striking battle.
Unlike wrestling, Robert Whittaker will have a greater advantage in stand up. In his fight against Cannonier, Bobby Knuckles put on a masterclass of how to maintain distance and pick someone apart. Whittaker also has elite takedown defence as well.
In order for Marvin Vettori to win the contest, he will have to close the distance between him and Whittaker very quickly. Engaging in the clinch and threatening a takedown at a regular interval will be a tool for Vettori to neutralize Rob’s striking.