The UFC are now searching for a new main event for their UFC Vegas 90 card, following the withdrawal of Marvin Vettori.
The Italian was scheduled to face the in form Brendan Allen in a Middleweight clash on April 6th but is now unable to compete due to undisclosed injury.
Vettori would have been heading into the contest after a unanimous decision loss to Jared Cannonier in June of 2023. Since being defeated by Isreal Adesayna in their title bout at UFC 263, ‘The Italian Dream’ has really struggled to find consistent form. In his last six, including the Adesayna fight, Vettori has went 3-3 and has not managed to compete anywhere near as much as he would have liked to, only managing to compete once last year.
Allen was set to enter the bout on a career best performance in which he demolished Paul ‘Bearjew’ Craig in emphatic fashion, submitting the grappling supremo in the second round with a rear naked choke. Prior to that, Allen had racked up a seriously impressive run having not lost a contest since 2021 and keeping very active over the last two years. Of his 6 wins over Sam Alvey, Jacob Malkoun, Krzysztof Jotko, Andre Muniz, Bruno Silva and the aforementioned Craig, 5 of them have came by way of rear naked choke, a finish which has been a signature for the 28-year-old since his Amateur days.
In the official rankings, Allen currently sits 6th but taking to social media, as Vettorri has had to withdraw, he now considers himself top 5 in the world. Taking to Instagram he said:
“I was ready for everything, so now I am the #5 @ufc Middleweight in the world! So who above me is trying to fight soon? @killagorillamma @robwhittakermma sean @stylebender”
Clearly looking to continue to punch his way up the division, Allen mentioned Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, Isreal Adesanya and Sean Strickland, who currently occupy spots 1-4 in the 185lbs division, in the post.
Vettori then responded a short time later explaining he picked up an injury following a freak accident in training which has left him unable to complete. He said:
“Guys, I wanted to tell you first hand, you know, because you see a lot of sh*t on the internet, but I wanted to tell you myself, I am not going to fight April 6th. I got hurt, it was kinda freak accident and I can’t go into a fight hurt. It’s the first time that I am pulling out of any bout. I am super sorry to all of my fans and to everyone that was looking forward to seeing this fight happen. Trust me, I am the first one that wanted this fight because I wanted to put my hands on this guy.
“You know, at the same time, sh*t happens and we have got to roll with it, nothing we can do. I’m going to focus on recovering as fast as I can, as best as I can and I am going to be back. You know, this sh*t means everything to me and I’ve never pulled out of any of my fights even in my amateur career. I can just tell you that I will be back, stronger than ever and we’ll run it back."
After the explanation, he turned his attention to Allen and made his feelings clear.
“It’s on. I’m your big shot. You’re going to beg me for another shot. I don’t give a f*ck about fighting you. I’m making you a favor. I’ll smash your face just because you look funny to me. That’s it, I’ll see you soon.”
At the time of writing it is unclear as to whether the UFC are trying to rebook Allen or if one of the bouts which is already set to appear on the card will take the main event slot.
