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A UFC fighter exploded at his opponent in a hotel lobby on Wednesday over his upcoming fight being canceled over the other fighter’s medical issues.
The altercation was captured on video by a bystander and posted to social media.
Marvin Vettori was scheduled to face Karl Roberson in a middleweight showdown on the UFC on ESPN+ 29 card at Vystar Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday.
But Roberson was pulled from the card after he missed weight on Tuesday and reported feeling ill afterward.
You can watch the full video below.
Vettori: ‘Let’s F*cking Fight!’
It’s important to note that while Roberson’s illness was reported not to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fighter was briefly hospitalized after failing to make weight.
Regardless, the fight being scrapped at the last minute seemed to send Vettori into a rage, because when the two fighters ran into each other in the hotel lobby as Roberson was leaving, Vettori screamed at Roberson in an expletive-filled rant that led to both men needing to be separated from each other by security personnel and other onlookers.
The video of the incident was posted to Instagram by Vettori’s nutritionist, Matteo Capodaglio. It shows Vettori and Roberson just a few feet away from each other being held apart by security.
“Let’s f*cking fight!” Vettori screamed. “You look like you can f*cking fight, then f*cking fight you b*tch ass. F*cking five months of preparation. Then f*cking fight if you can fight! Fight me now!”
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Vettori’s Frustration Is Completely Understandable
It’s easy to understand why Vettori would feel so frustrated over the cancellation. After all, UFC fighters put their bodies through rigorous training procedures to be ready for their fights, and last-minute cancellations like this one keep the fighters’ careers from moving forward.
On top of that, Vettori’s last scheduled fight was also canceled.
In fact, according to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin, the fighter had already hopped into a jet and flown over to England in March to face Darren Stewart on the UFC London card when he learned he needed to turn right back around and head back to the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That means Vettori has gone through two training camps in a row that ended up with him not being able to fight.
Is COVID-19 Pandemic Causing Emotions to Run High?
The global COVID-19 pandemic might also have caused Vettori’s emotions to run a little hotter than they would have otherwise.
In fact, one could argue the recent uptick in social media clashes among UFC stars, things like Twitter tirades and Instagram comment battles, are a result of fighters having to deal with the added stress of the pandemic.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson