June 13, (THEWILL)- In the main event of Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 263, Israel Adesanya was dominant throughout his title defense fight against challenger Marvin Vettori, the mixed martial artist he defeated early in his career and who never stopped calling for a rematch, falsely believing he was supposed to have won their 2018 fight.
At the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Adesanya, popularly known in the UFC as “The Last Stylebender” ended that claim by dealing Vettori another defeat with a clear decision victory to retain his title and shut the Italian up finally.
No one but Vettori thought he had a successful fight because of the few moments in the fight where he scored a handful of takedowns. Yet, in every single one of them Adesanya showcased improved grappling skills as he escaped back to his feet. In one occasion, the Stylebender spun out of a rear-naked choke attempt to end up on top of Vettori.
These fleeting occasions apart, Adesanya was in total control. He peppered Vettori with a steady supply of leg kicks that nullified the explosive momentum of Vettori’s takedown attempts. At one time, Adesanya flattened Vetorri with a kick that took his leg off the canvas.
The champion also showed his wizardry with his hands. He not only evaded Vettori’s strikes with precision but connected to the fighter’s chin repeatedly. He mixed things up and was throwing low and high kicks, lefts and rights and Vettori never knew where, or where, the strikes were coming from each time.
To keep from being kicked down again, Vettori spent much of the latter rounds of championship bout leaning forward, clinging to Adesanya’s legs while not being able to put the fight back on the ground, which was a failing strategy. It earned the challenger taunts from the champion and boos from the crowd gathered at the Arena.
The five rounds were clearly all Adesanya’s as he outscored Vettori on all three official scorecards. He won by scores of 50-45 across the board, which was adequately representative of the action from the fight. It meant that the Nigerian-New Zealander successfully defended his 185-pound championship for the third times.
It was a good outcome for Adesanya as it marked a rebound to winning ways after the loss he suffered in his previous fight. As reported by THEWILL in March, Adesanya attempted to become a two-division champion when he went to light heavyweight to face 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz but was overpowered by sheer muscle mass.
In typical fashion, Adesanya called for a rematch with Robert Whittaker, the man he defeated to become champion in his post-match comments.
He used swear words and spoke directly to the Australian-New Zealand mixed martial artist: “Whittaker, my arch-nemesis, Bobby. I don’t know what the f— is gonna happen with COVID. We need to run that back in Auckland, in my territory this time. I’ll tell you what it is, I get to decide, you don’t get to decide, because why? I’m the motherf—ing king, bitch.”
Adesanya made this fight less than a month after his friend and training partner, Fau Vake, was murdered in New Zealand. He laid the belt on the canvas at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arena, dropped to his knees and bowed his head in memory of Vake.
“Fau Vake, I love you man,” Adesanya said. “This fight I dedicate to you.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
