Marvin Vettori will have to go back to the drawing board after his most recent outing this past weekend.

Jared Cannonier put on a record-breaking performance in the UFC Vegas 75 main event opposite Vettori. “The Killa Gorilla” battered his Italian foe en route to a unanimous decision victory that saw Cannonier land 241 significant strikes, a record for a UFC middleweight contest. While he didn’t get the nod, Vettori’s chin and durability impressed everyone watching almost as much as Cannonier’s efforts.

Vettori has alternated wins and losses in his last five appearances, starting with his title fight rematch against Israel Adesanya in June 2021. Going by this trend, Vettori is primed to rebound but his ceiling is becoming evident to those at 185 pounds. Occasional training partner and fellow middleweight contender Sean Strickland sees the sky as the limit for “The Italian Dream.” Perhaps a support change could do the trick, according to the brash Strickland.

“I like Marvin some days. Some days I want to take him outside and shoot him,” Strickland told The Schmo. “Marvin is volatile. The problem with Marvin, you guys: Marvin’s dumb. Marvin’s stupid. If I went to Marvin and he put me in a position of power and I said, ‘Marvin, I want you to stand on one leg, just for five days and I think you’re still gonna win the fight,’ he would stand there on one leg for five days and not move. I just think Marvin needs to find a better short bus driver.

“You know what I’m saying? Right now, he’s on that short bus, and the people driving the short bus, they’re taking him in bad directions. I think if Marvin could find a better special needs helper, it will put him in the right direction. Marvin is a tough guy, great cardio, a lot of heart, stupid as f****** dirt, but he has all the potential in the world. He just needs better voices.”

Both Strickland and Vettori suffered similar fates against Cannonier, albeit, Strickland was more competitive in his split decision loss this past January. “Tarzan” still feels he deserved the nod but has since rebounded impressively by outpointing Nassourdine Imavov in a short-notice light heavyweight clash.

Strickland returns next weekend as one half of the UFC Vegas 76 main event where he’ll take on UFC sophomore, Abusupiyan Magomedov. Not one for much homework, Strickland is going in relatively blind with hopes of a win giving him a shot at landing an Adesanya title fight at UFC 293 in Australia this September.

“Is he a wrestler?” Strickland asked. “I know he fought Dustin [Stoltzfus], he fought a can, and he knocked a guy out. Next thing you know, he’s fighting ranked guys. I don’t know who the f*** Abus is.

“Here’s the thing, guys. I deserve the belt. You guys want the belt [on me].”

---

TOP STORIES

Boxing. Eddie Hearn: Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz ‘a mismatch’ that ‘won’t go 4’ rounds

Spectating. Nate Diaz teammate reacts to boxer Esquiva Falcao’s viral sparring claims: ‘Bro, that guy got f***** up’

Ridiculous. Mark Zuckerberg ready to fight Elon Musk in a ‘cage match’: ‘Send me location’

Crazy. ‘Oh, s***’: Josiah Harrell recounts viral LFA 160 moment after driving opponent through cage door

Heavyweights. Arjan Bhullar ‘very, very happy’ with fresh start in ONE Championship after drawn out contract negotiations

Bets. UFC Jacksonville Gambling Preview: Will Josh Emmett stop the Ilia Topuria hype train?

Shakeup. Anthony Smith: Alex Pereira ‘going to have a tough time’ with some top UFC light heavyweights

Scales. PFL 6 weigh-in results: 2 fighters miss weight for final regular-season event in 2023

---

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

Emmett vs. Topuria preview.

Topuria’s top finishes.

Holloway-Zombie.

Fastest Bellator submissions.

PFL 2023 BTS Ep. 10.

Bloodbath throwback.

CCC Breakdown: Emmett vs. Topuria.

24-Hour Training Camp.

Kick shields.

Pereira’s dream.

---

LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Figting’s Mike Heck reacts to the Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Vera booking; Plus, Jasmine Jasudavicius joins the show

---

MORNING MUSIC

---

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

GOAT.

Oh.

Go get it.

Khamzat and Zlatan.

Luke in Africa.

Oh boy.

Chill out, fella.

---

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Gavin Tucker (13-2) vs. Diego Lopes (21-6); UFC Nashville, Aug. 5

Leandro Higo (21-6) vs. Nikita Mikhailov (10-2); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Diana Avsaragova (6-0) vs. Justine Kish (8-6); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Dayana Silva (10-8) vs. Katerina Shakalova (7-1); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Max Rohskopf (7-2) vs. Jario Pacheco (7-1); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Jerrell Hodge (10-3) vs. Marcirley Alves da Silva (11-3); Bellator 298, Aug. 11

Brady Hiestand (7-2) vs. Da’mon Blackshear (13-5-1); UFC Vegas 78, Aug. 12

Liang Na (19-6) vs. JJ Aldrich (11-6); UFC Singapore, Aug. 26

Chidi Njokuani (22-9) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (18-6, 1 NC); UFC Singapore, Aug. 26

Alexa Grasso (16-3) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (23-4); UFC event, Sept. 16

Mizuki Inoue (14-6) vs. Hannah Goldy (6-3); UFC Vegas 79, Sept. 23

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

While Merab is certainly crazy, Khamzat’s beard is getting just insane.

Happy Friday, everyone. Have a good weekend and we’ll see you Monday. Thanks for reading!

---

EXIT POLL

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.