Israel Adesanya will attempt to earn his third middleweight title defense when he rematches Marvin Vettori in tonight’s UFC 263 main event.
Adesanya (20-1 MMA) and Vettori (17-4-1 MMA) originally collided in April of 2018, with the promotions reigning middleweight champion emerging victorious by way of split decision.
Since then ‘The Italian Dream’ has gone on to win five fights in a row, his latest being a dominant decision victory over Kevin Holland.
Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya will enter UFC 263 looking to rebound from the first loss of his professional MMA career. ‘Stylebender’ had his ambitions of becoming a champ-champ halted by Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 back in March. Prior to that setback, the middleweight champion had reeled off two title defenses over opponents Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
Round one of the UFC 263 main event begins and Israel Adesanya opens the fight with four straight low kicks. Marvin Vettori is applying a ton of pressure early. He backs up ‘Stylebender’ with his jab. Izzy circles and lands a low kick. Vettori replies with one of his own. Adesanya with a hard low kick but Marvin shoots in and scores a takedown. Adesanya quickly scrambles back to his feet and is able to break free from the clinch. Good low kicks from the champion. Marvin Vettori is bringing the pressure now. He lands a good left hand but Israel cracks him with a hard low kick. ‘Stylebender’ lands another and that buckles the knee of the Italian. A big kick to the body now from Adesanya. He lands a beautiful left hand up the middle. Vettori eats it and lands a left hand as the horn sounds to end round one.
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Round two of the UFC 263 headliner begins and Israel Adesanya gets to work with some good low kicks. He lands a nice combination as Vettori enters the pocket. Marvin side steps and lands a good combination of his own. ‘Stylebender’ with another HEAVY low kick. Marvin Vettori forces the clinch and looks to score a takedown. Izzy is able to shrug him off and that is not a good sign for ‘The Italian Dream’. Still, Vettori relentlessly presses forward and winds up landing a combination. Two minutes remain in the round. Adesanya swings and misses with a high kick. Marvin Vettori lands a short right hook. He presses Israel against the fence and begins working for a takedown. Adesanya slams him with elbows from the position. Vettori is forced to give up on the clinch and ‘Stylebender’ hits him with a nice high kick to end the round.
Round three of the UFC 263 main event begins and Marvin Vettori lands a much needed early takedown. He begins working some short punches and then looks to take the back of the champ. He does and quickly locks in a rear-naked choke. This is tight. ‘Stylebender’ rolls and escapes. He winds up in top position and decides to stand up. Adesanya lands a right hand. Vettori responds with a left. ‘Stylebender’ lands another nasty low kick and then another. He swings and misses with a high kick. Marvin Vettori lands a big jab. He begins to pressure Adesanya who responds by firing off another low kick. ‘The Italian Dream’ with a left hand but Israel Adesanya replies with hard low kick. Vettori with a leaping left that partially connects. ‘Stylebender’ cracks him with another low kick and this time Vettori drops. He gets right back up but his lead leg is definitely compromised. The horn sounds to end round three.
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Round four of the UFC 263 headliner begins and Marvin Vettori comes out quickly but is immediately greeted by more low kicks from Israel Adesanya. ‘The Italian Dream’ forces the clinch and then drags ‘Stylebender’ to the canvas. Adesanya immediately sweeps him, takes top position, and then stands back up. That had to be deflating for Vettori. The champ lands three-straight kicks now. His stand-up looks terrific this evening. Marvin Vettori connects with a good low kick. He lands a left hand and then pushes Izzy up against the cage. Marvin is looking for a single leg takedown but Adesanya is doing a good job of defending. Round four comes to an end.
The fifth and final round of the UFC 263 main event begins and Marvin Vettori quickly attempts to take the fight to the floor. He pushes Israel Adesanya up against the cage but appears to be exhausted while working for a single leg. ‘Stylebender’ ultimately defends the shot and then breaks free from the fence. He lands a good low kick on the Italian. He goes high but Vettori blocks it. This might not be the most fan friendly fight, but it is one that Israel Adesanya is dominating. Marvin Vettori shoots in for a takedown. He gets it for all of five seconds and Izzy is already back to his feet. Big kicks now from reigning middleweight champion. He attempts to go upstairs by Vettori blocks it. Another hard low kick scores. The horn sounds to end round five.
Official UFC 263 Result: Israel Adesanya def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (50-45 x3)
Who would you like to see Adesanya fight next following his victory over Vettori this evening in Arizona? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!