Marvin Vettori returns to action this weekend for the first time since the summer of 2023, and leading into his headlining rematch against Roman Dolidze he’s spoken out about the shoulder injury that kept him out of action last year.
The 31-year-old Vettori initially tried to overcome the shoulder injury with physical therapy, but when that didn’t work he was forced to undergo surgery in June of last year.
“There were times when I was like, ‘F*ck, is it going to be back to normal?,’ because it takes so f*cking long,” Vettori told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 254 media day. “The shoulder, man, every angle you have to train because otherwise you’d be good here, but out here is weak. I’m pretty stubborn, I’m able to get after it, but I had moments, I was like, ‘F*cking hell, is it going to be back to normal? Do I have to figure some other way to fight?’ But sure enough, people around you and doctors tell you that eventually you’ll see. People get injured all the time and come back. I was always trying to be opposite.”
After that troubled time Vettori says he’s not currently concerned about where he stands in the division or how far he is from a title shot, and instead is just glad to be able to compete again.
“I just see it as me getting back,” Vettori said. “The rest is extra. That’s what I see, me getting back and feeling good, putting all the pieces together. It’s been a while. The rest is extra. We’ll see.”
