Reigning UFC undisputed middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will face a confident Marvin Vettori in the headliner of UFC 263. Adesanya will look to defend his crown for the third time since capturing it in 2019.
Adesanya is busy preparing for his battle, but that hasn’t stopped him from sharing a pleasant moment with a fan in Arizona. Adesanya was walking past a road when a fan spotted him and seemingly asked for a selfie. The champ obliged his request and gave him a selfie.
"We Nigeria!" 🇳🇬@Stylebender ran into one of his countrymen in Arizona and made his day!
(🎥 via UFC) pic.twitter.com/pg1KGWIEbl
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 8, 2021
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Adesanya is a popular figure among fans. His work ethic inside the ring and his charisma while holding a mic has garnered him many followers on social media.
But there is something he doesn’t like. The middleweight champion recently posted a tweet requesting fans to show some respect to the fighters.
“I had some cool fan interactions yesterday,” his post read. “I made time for these fans cuz they were nice, respectful, and not entitled. Next week is gonna get crazy cuz y’all have been starved of this beautiful violence.
“But please just be cool, treat the fighters you meet with respect whether you like them or not, and if they give you their time, don’t abuse it. I hate it when you give a fan a minute of your time and they have 10 different items for you to sign.”
Just came here to fight, put food on my table and go home (plus 2 week quarantine). Help make this easy for both of us xo pic.twitter.com/4NKaSltnTs
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) June 6, 2021
Adesanya also requested fans to respect when a fighter says ‘No’ as they have many things to deal with during the fight week.
In the post, he also urged certain loyal fans to show the miscreants how it works as a mutual connection between a star and his fan.
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How Marvin Vettori has fared since his loss to Israel Adesanya?
Vettori (17-4) is the most dominant force after Adesanya in the middleweight division. ‘The Italian Dream’ has only gained strength after his narrow loss against Adesanya.
He has racked up 5 straight victories since then. His main attribute is strong wrestling and grappling. The Italian has picked up 4 unanimous decision wins out of 5 of those matches.
His last victory over Kevin Holland in April this year also was a decision win. The win earned him a place in the title fight.
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It will be a tough task though, as Adesanya is a notch above all those he has defeated. But Vettori will take confidence from the fact that his opponent will be coming into the fight off of a first career loss.
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