Marvin Vettori issues statement after main event loss

Marvin Vettori’s comeback did not go as planned at UFC Fight Night 254.

After injuries sidelined him for the longest layoff of his career, former middleweight title challenger Vettori (19-8-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) returned Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, only to drop a unanimous decision against Roman Dolidze (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a rematch of a fight he won on the scorecards at UFC 286 in March 2023.

During his time away, Vettori moved to Florida and joined the renowned American Top Team. It didn’t produce the results he wanted, but in his first post-fight statement, struggled to find the words to explain why.

“Nothing too bad – just some cuts and bruises,” Vettori said on his Instagram Stories. “F*ck, man. Life sometimes shows you that even when you give your heart out and everything you’ve got, you still fall short. That was a close fight. Almost had him in the third. But I guess it wasn’t enough. Yeah man. F*ck. I don’t even know what to say.”

Vettori, 31, is now on the first two-fight losing skid of his MMA career. He has been a consistent part of the top 10 rankings at 185 pounds for more than five years, but now finds himself in danger of falling to the outside looking in. And he didn’t have an immediate answer on how to prevent that.

“Thank you to ATT,” Vettori said. “The best in the world, bro. … Love you guys. Thank you, UFC. What the f*ck can I say, bro? I don’t know.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.