Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his crown when he will go one on one against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263. This will be their rematch from 2018, where Adesanya narrowly got the better Vettori via a split decision.
There is still time for the in-ring action, but both the fighters have already traded multiple blows on each other on various social media platforms. After taking jibes singularly, they at last assembled for a mutual interview section hosted by former middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
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When Bisping asked Adesanya how does he feel about Vettori’s behavior over the last six months, the champ had an interesting take. “He’s like an ex-girlfriend that you dump and (she) won’t leave alone though,” he said.
“Keep stalking at you, scratching your car, coming to your workplace, harassing you, and will try to get your attention everywhere.”
Vettori then interrupted Adesanya and called himself f*cking nightmare. The champ didn’t take his words kindly and continued his rant.
“My nightmare? Brother, you are the Italian wet dream,” he added. “You are the Italian wet dream. You ain’t no nightmare. Shut the f*ck up. You are the ex that I dumped. I ain’t no f*cking give what you are.”
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Israel Adesanya vs Marvin Vettori 1- In brief
‘The Last Stylebender’ (20-1) and ‘The Italian Dream’ fought at UFC on Fox 29. This was the former’s second match in the promotion. Their battle was a three-round affair in which Adesanya and Vettori picked up clean advantage in the second and third rounds, respectively.
However, the first round proved to be the decider for the match. Adesanya landed 24 strikes compared to Vettori’s 18. But two judges voted for Adesanya and one judge voted in favor of the Italian.
The second round saw Adesanya dominate from the start and displayed imperious striking to move ahead of Vettori after the culmination of the round.
Vettori learned his lessons in the third round and focussed more on ground control as his takedown attempts were successful. Even though the Italian won that round, the overall score handed Adesanya a split victory.
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It won’t be wrong to call that match, as the closest Adesanya has come to facing defeat in the middleweight division. Vettori has already taken giant steps after that fight and hasn’t lost a single match after the narrow loss. Their rematch again promises to be a close-call affair.
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Who will prevail in the end?
READ MORE: ‘That’s Not an Insult’- Michael Bisping Lays Down Conor McGregor’s Current Situation