‘Story of This Fight Was Leg Kicks’- Marvin Vettori Breaks Down UFC 263 Defeat to Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya, who has now etched his third title defense, remains undefeated as a middleweight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ defeated Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision and never really looked to be in danger at any point in the fight as he put on a striking clinic.

‘The Italian Dream’ wasn’t able to secure the advantage in the grappling department, despite making dire attempts at many points in the fight. Adesanya’s TD defense against the cage was extremely comprehensive and Vettori expended a lot of energy against the octagon.

Also Read: Israel Adesanya Moves Closer to Breaking Anderson Silva’s Record

Marvin Vettori (17-5-1) recognized the varied skill set that Adesanya brought to the table when discussing the fight. However, he believes that the judges not scoring any rounds in his favor was definitely something that didn’t go his way. Not to mention, Vettori also gave props to Adesanya for being able to hold his own in the grappling department.

“I think I did a lot of good things, I think the boxing exchanges was even a, I was having a lot of success with the boxing exchanges. Story of this fight was leg kicks, I guess. I went back and talked to my coaches, I think the 50-45 was definitely not the right decision, but it is what it is. I’m 27 years old, going to go back to the hotel, going to go a run, do like a 5-miles run. I didn’t even take a hot shower cause I feel like I don’t deserve it.”

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Marvin Vettori says Israel Adesanya is slippery

Though Vettori did land a few takedowns, he struggled to capitalize on them. Hence, he praised ‘The Last Stylebender’ once more in his conversation with BT Sport’s Caroline Pearce.

“I’m going to go back and work and get ready for the next fight. He’s really slippery, he’s game in his own way if staying on the ground. He does what he does, and he’s game in his own way. He might not be offensive or anything, but defensively he’s pretty good. With that being said, I had all the cards to beat him, but I didn’t.”

It’s back to the drawing board for Marvin Vettori, who has now lost to Adesanya on two separate occasions. However, as he made sure to mention, he is 27-years old and can possibly return to a pole position as a contender. There are several middleweight fights out there for Vettori and he’s already got his sights on facing Paulo Costa next.