Marvin Vettori sat beside the octagon for Kevin Gastelum vs Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24
UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori closely observed Saturday night's UFC main event. The third-ranked middleweight fighter was at UFC Apex to attend UFC Vegas 24.
Marvin Vettori, who bagged a dominant victory over Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 23, is on a five-fight winning streak. The Italian fighter has made a strong case for a title shot. In his post-fight interview last week, Vettori claimed that he wanted to battle it out with the champion, Israel Adesanya.
"I think I deserve it. I have the biggest, the longer win streak right now and other people were supposed to show up, they didn't. And now I'm on a win streak, like I said, I've put on winning performances, dominant performances," said Vettori.
In order to amplify his chances of getting a title shot, Vettori was in attendance during the Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum fight. If the promotion matched Vettori up with the winner of Saturday night's main event, the Italian fighter was ready to lunge at the opportunity.
In his previous UFC outing, Marvin Vettori took a wrestling-intensive approach to overwhelm Kevin Holland. Trailblazer had no response to the suffocating pressure of Vettori. The latter took down Holland over and over to claim the unanimous decision.
However, the grappling-heavy fight was severely criticized by fans across the board.
Is Marvin Vettori next in line for a title shot?
Marvin Vettori's title aspirations might be impeded after Robert Whittaker claimed the victory at UFC Vegas 24. Whittaker has racked up three consecutive wins since he lost his title to Adesanya at UFC 243. In his post-fight interview on Saturday night, the Australian said he was open to a rematch with the undisputed champion.
It seems like Adesanya isn't backing down from the challenge either, judging by the champion's recent dig at Whittaker.
The Reaper mentioned taking a post-fight break that may extend until the end of the year. So, if the UFC brings the Whittaker vs Adesanya rematch to fruition, Marvin Vettori will have to wait on the sidelines or fight someone else in the division.