Marvin Vettori loses to Ismail Naurdiev at UFC 332

Marvin Vettori has failed to end his losing streak. At UFC 332, held on the night between Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the Italian fighter was defeated by Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision after three rounds. The judges' scorecards were identical: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 for the Austrian fighter of Chechen origin.

A heavy defeat for Vettori, his fifth consecutive loss in UFC and his sixth in his last seven appearances inside the octagon. His last win dates back to March 2023, when the Italian Dream defeated Roman Dolidze in their first meeting. Since then, he has suffered losses against Jared Cannonier, Dolidze himself in the rematch, Brendan Allen, Brunno Ferreira and now Naurdiev.

And yet, at least looking at the overall numbers, the fight in Salt Lake City was far from one-sided. Vettori actually finished ahead in landed significant strikes, 76 to 74, but Naurdiev managed to be more effective in the moments that probably decided the fight, especially in the first half of the bout.

The start is immediately difficult for the Italian fighter. Naurdiev begins working the legs right away, consistently using low kicks and calf kicks to take away his opponent's stability. By the end of the fight, Naurdiev will have landed 28 significant strikes to the legs, compared with just 7 for Vettori.

The first round sees Naurdiev being more varied and effective in the grappling as well. The Austrian takes Vettori down twice and closes the round ahead 28-18 in significant strikes. Marvin tries to answer with his usual pressure and his straight left, but struggles to find consistency and, above all, to impose his pace.

The second round is much more balanced and probably represents the real turning point of the fight.

Vettori increases the volume and lands 29 significant strikes to his opponent's 26, but it is Naurdiev who produces the clearest moment of the round, catching Marvin with a right hand that clearly rocks him. The Italian absorbs it, as he has done practically throughout his career, recovers quickly and immediately returns to the exchanges, also managing to finish the round strongly.

It is a round that is difficult to judge based on statistics alone. Vettori lands more strikes, but Naurdiev produces the most impactful action and also adds a takedown. A detail that, in a fight ending with three identical 29-28 scorecards, inevitably carries enormous weight.

In the third round Naurdiev begins to slow down. Vettori increases the pressure, finds the target more frequently and defends his opponent's takedown attempts, as Naurdiev appears progressively more fatigued.

Marvin finishes the round ahead 29-20 in significant strikes and lands some of his best shots in the final minutes. Naurdiev tries to break the rhythm by alternating striking with wrestling attempts, while Vettori continues moving forward in search of the strike capable of changing the fight once and for all.

The problem, once again, is time.

When the Italian Dream finally seems able to impose his pressure with greater consistency, the fight is already nearing its end. After fifteen minutes, the judges are therefore called upon to decide the winner, and all three award the fight to Naurdiev.

The final statistics show clearly just how competitive the fight was. Vettori finishes with 76 significant strikes landed out of 201 attempted, compared with 74 out of 190 for Naurdiev. The Italian clearly dominates in head strikes, 62 to 37, while his opponent builds a significant part of his victory through his work on the legs, 28 strikes to 7, and with three successful takedowns out of seven attempts.

Those numbers also explain why the verdict may leave room for some debate without being considered outrageous. The second round is extremely close and Vettori lands more strikes, but the right hand with which Naurdiev manages to rock him probably represents the most significant action of the five minutes. With the first round clearly favoring the Austrian and Marvin improving in the latter part of the fight, the bout was essentially decided there.

For Naurdiev, this is his second consecutive victory and probably the most important win of his career in UFC. Since returning to the promotion in the middleweight division, he has won three of his four fights, and beating a former title challenger like Vettori inevitably represents a major step forward in his career.

For Marvin, however, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult.

Ahead of UFC 332, the Italian fighter had not hidden his dissatisfaction with his recent performances. Speaking about his negative run, he admitted that he no longer recognized himself when watching his fights back, describing himself as too stiff and timid compared with the aggressive Vettori who in previous years had managed to reach a title fight against Israel Adesanya.

In an attempt to change course, he had also left American Top Team and returned to California, reconnecting with the environment in which he had built the most important part of his career and relying on Beneil Dariush as his head coach.

There were some signs of improvement, especially in the second half of the fight against Naurdiev. Vettori increased the pace, remained competitive until the final second and finished the fight stronger than his opponent. It was not enough.

At 33 years old, his professional record now drops to 19 wins, 11 losses and one draw. One remarkable statistic also remains among fighters who have spent years at the top of the UFC: despite eleven professional losses and some extremely tough fights against opponents such as Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier, Vettori has never been finished.

Durability, however, has never been the problem.

After five consecutive defeats, the question inevitably concerns what comes next. At the moment, there have been no official statements from the UFC regarding a possible release of Vettori, and any conclusion in that direction would be premature. A streak like this, however, inevitably raises questions about the promotion's next move and about the future of the Italian fighter himself.

Three years ago Marvin Vettori was firmly established among the best middleweights in the world and was still chasing another opportunity to reach the belt.

Today, the challenge is different.

Before thinking about returning to the top of the division, the Italian Dream must find a way to start winning again.