"Wash your mouth whenever you talk about him" - Marvin Vettori defends Beneil Dariush after latter pulls out of Islam Makhachev fight 

Marvin Vettori has voiced his support for Beneil Dariush after the 32-year-old was forced to withdraw from his clash with Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 49.

Dariush had no option but to pull out of the highly anticipated matchup after he suffered an ankle injury during a training session. Makhachev will instead take on Bobby Green, who is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271. A win over the Dagestani standout could've possibly put Dariush on the cusp of title contention.

Vettori came to his Kings MMA teammate's defense on Twitter after several internet trolls accused the No.3-ranked lightweight of showing cowardice. 'The Italian Dream' wrote:

"For everybody talking shit, bennys leg has a serious injury, there wasn’t anything he wanted more than this fight. 20 ufc fights, fought pretty much everyone, one of the most active in the roster. Wash your mouth whenever you talk about him."

Here is Vettori's tweet:

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Marvin Vettori slams Paulo Costa following his demand for a rematch

Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa squared off for the first time at UFC Vegas 41. Scheduled as a middleweight matchup, the bout was fought at 205 lbs after it became evident that the Brazilian wouldn't be able to make weight. Despite being at a weight disadvantage, Vettori came out on top via unanimous decision

Interestingly, 'The Eraser's' camp recently indicated that he was keen to stay in the 185 lbs division and have a rematch with Vettori. 'The Italian Dream' hit back at Costa on Twitter after seeing the comments and accused him of having a "30 pound" advantage in their first fight. The 28-year-old wrote:

"You was in the cage with me 30 pounds heavier and for real I know a b*tch her name Felicia she hits harder than you @danawhite"

Check out Vettori's tweet below:

Having lost twice to Israel Adesanya, Marvin Vettori might have a long road back to title contention in the middleweight division. In all likelihood, he will need to knock off a string of contenders before he gets another crack at championship gold. Perhaps a second win over Paulo Costa in a rematch might significantly boost his title prospects.