Marco Tulio has bold plans for his next moves in the UFC after his upcoming middleweight fight with Christian Leroy Duncan this weekend at the UFC APEX, and that includes giving Mavin Vettori the first knockout loss of his career.
Vettori is scheduled to face Brunno Ferreira on the final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 323 on Dec. 6, and Tulio sees him as one of the ideal opponents if he improves to 3-0 in the promotion on Nov. 8.
“One guy I really want to fight is Vettori,” Tulio told MMA Fighting.
“Marvin Vettori is a really tough guy, he’s fought several of the division’s biggest names and has never been knocked out, and I’d love to be the first one to do it, to knock him out. [Roman] Dolidze too, he’s closer to the rankings, near the top 5, and that would be a great fight as well.”
If all goes right Saturday, and something happens to any middleweight bout before the end of the year, including Vettori vs. Ferreira, the Chute Boxe fighter is open to a quick turnaround so he can chase four octagon wins in a calendar year.
“I said I wanted to fight four times this year,” said Tulio, who had to pull out of a fight with Michel Pereira in August to undergo hand surgery. “It could’ve happened, but I really believe in God’s plans. After everything that happened with me, especially on the Contender, I learned to rest more and not let anxiety take over. I believe that if God blesses us to do good work, December is still there. There’s still a whole month left. I’m here in the U.S., and if it’s His will, I’ll be ready.”
“I believe the UFC sees me in a good light within the organization,” he continued. “This will be my fifth fight — two on the Contender, two in the UFC — and I’m looking at three straight wins in the organization. I strongly believe they’ll probably give me a ranked opponent after winning this one. And if not, I’ll keep working. It’s going to happen soon.”
Dolidze had a three-fight winning streak snapped earlier this year when he lost to Anthony Hernandez, and Vettori has his back against the wall after losing his past three straight.
After knocking out Ihor Potieria and Tresean Gore in the UFC and going 2-0 on the Contender Series, defeating Matthieu Duclos and Yousri Belgaroui, Tulio sees a scenario where he beats both Vettori and Dolidze next to set up a dream clash with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
“I admire him a lot, I’m a huge fan of his, but I just don’t know how much longer he’ll stay in the UFC,” Tulio said. “I think he’s the biggest name in the division today, historically speaking. To me, he’s the second-best middleweight in the world. Those three guys would be the path I’d like to climb right now.”
Tulio left Sao Paulo early to be with Norma Dumont for her UFC Vegas 110 win over Ketlen Vieira, and now it’s his turn to enter the octagon seven days later. His teammate Allan Nascimento was also victorious that night, pocketing extra $50,000 in bonus for his performance, and Tulio hopes to keep the momentum going for Chute Boxe.
“I think I have a lot of power in my hands,” Tulio said. “[Duncan] fights very loose, very technical on the feet, very dangerous with spinning attacks and elbows — kind of similar to me, really. It’s a good match-up for me because he doesn’t like to be pressured, doesn’t like taking heavy shots. If you let him fight, he’ll unleash his arsenal. But I’m the lion inside that cage, and I think that’s going to make him uncomfortable.”
