UFC middleweight's retirement tease shocks some fans while others just want him gone: "You're the guy to beat DDP," "BUM just retire"

UFC middleweight fighter Marvin Vettori recently hinted at the possibility of calling it a career in the near future. 'The Italian Dream' has been inactive since his lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 75 in June 2023.

Vettori has outlined a potential timeframe for his octagon return, targeting February or March as tentative months. Surprisingly, he is now suggesting that these upcoming bouts could be among the final few of his career.

'The Italian Dream' recently issued an open challenge to fighters in the 185-pound division on X and implied that the potential fight could be part of his final stretch before retirement:

"So, who wants to fight an easy top 10 [ranked] guy on his way to retirement?? I’m ok with anyone, just my last few, so maybe I can call it [a career]."

Check out Marvin Vettori's post below:

Fans had mixed reactions to Vettori's suggestion of hanging up his gloves, with many believing he still has plenty of fight left in him. Meanwhile, a few skeptics curiously supported his decision.

One fan wrote:

"I thought you were gonna win the belt? Give up?"

Another wrote:

"BUM just retire…"

Another commented:

"You’re the guy to beat DDP [Dricus du Plessis] tho!"

Check out some more reactions below:

Comments on Marvin Vettori's X post

Vettori faced former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in a rematch at UFC 263 in June 2021. Despite his valiant efforts, he came up short in his bid for the title, losing via unanimous decision.

The 31-year-old Italian holds a UFC record of 9-5-1 and has an overall professional tally of 19-7-1. However, Vettori is enduring the roughest patch of his career, with just two wins in his last five appearances inside the octagon.

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What kept Marvin Vettori from making his UFC comeback in 2024?

Marvin Vettori was originally slated to face Brendan Allen in the main event of UFC Vegas 90 in April, marking his return to the octagon. Unfortunately, less than a month before the fight, 'The Italian Dream' had to withdraw due to an untimely injury sustained during his training camp.

With Vettori sidelined, 'All In' stepped in for a short-notice rematch against Chris Curtis. Allen earned a hard-fought split-decision victory, leveling the score with 'Action-Man'.