Marvin Vettori enters UFC 323 'matured,' aims to end three-fight skid

LAS VEGAS – Marvin Vettori knows his back is against the wall entering UFC 323.

Back in 2019, Vettori (19-8-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) began a five-fight winning streak that led to a middleweight title shot two years later. Since then, he's struggled to maintain that winning momentum. On the prelims of the final pay-per-view event of the year (pay-per-view, ESPN2/FX/Disney+, ESPN+), he faces Brunno Ferreira in an attempt to stop the bleeding of a three-fight skid.

Throughout his recent journey, Vettori admits he needed to change things up to find himself again and believes landing at American Top Team is the answer to turning his career around.

"I kind of lost some stuff that I was doing back then, and they stopped working, I guess, in some of the fights," Vettori told MMA Junkie. "I started doubting a little bit of the stuff, and a lot of stuff crumbled. It took me a while to figure everything out again. ... Now, I'm more centered. I matured, I understood a lot of things. I found my place at ATT and here I am, to build little by little, brick by brick, getting back to the top.

"I'm 32, man. I believe I still got a lot to give. Nothing is lost. I still have the opportunity to show the world and come back and make it happen again. It's no point to dwell on the past."

Ferreira (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has steadily built a name for himself since entering the UFC in 2022. The Brazilian has not reached the judges' scorecards through seven fights, win or lose. It's a crossroads matchup, as Vettori aims to stay ranked, while Ferreria looks to enter the top 15. This is also the first unranked opponent Vettori has faced since 2020, when he took on Karl Roberson.

"I have to win this one, man," Vettori said. "I have to win this one, like every fight, but I really feel like I don't see how he can get this one. So, I'll get it, and we'll start from here. You can never say easy opponent or stuff like that, but maybe a notch down from the competition I was facing before, but that doesn't mean that I'm taking him lightly. I had the best camp of my life, I think. I'm ready to show it."

Vettori said he's coming into this fight with grappling being a big part of his gameplan, which he labeled as "stupid" to abandon. His last stoppage was a submission against Roberson, and he believes that's a possibility Saturday against Ferreira.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 323: 'Matured' Marvin Vettori aims to end three-fight skid