M. Vettori faced I. Adesanya in 2018. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Even with Robert whittaker being number one in the middleweight rankings (up to 83,9kg), he was Marvin vettori who received the chance to compete for the title against Israel adesanya. The coach of Nigerian Eugene Bareman admitted that it was his pupil who chose the rematch against the Italian, even against the UFC's wishes, seeking a resounding victory. The statement was made in an interview with 'Submission Radio'.
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“The fight will happen because of Israel and not because of Marvin. I know that the people who run the UFC weren't happy with his (Vettori) last fight. Ultimate is like that. They don't want to see someone who ties up their opponent. They want to promote fighters that excite the fans and Marvin doesn’t do that,” said Eugene.
Asked about the reasons for choosing the Nigerian Marvin vettori, Adesanya's coach cited two points. Eugene declared that his pupil seeks to erase the bad impression of the last confrontation against Jan Blachowicz and the first duel against Italian, where he won only by split decision.
“Israel wants to be more forceful this time, leaving no doubt in this victory. This is the motivation factor. One of the things we always emphasize is that you have to love what you do. The only way to be successful in MMA is to be obsessed and Adesanya is. He just wants to know how to fight. We will be prepared. Is Marvin capable of doing the things Jan (Blachowicz) did? Is he as good as the light heavyweight champion? Marvin has a very good team, a very good coach and we like facing guys like that”, concluded the champion’s coach.
Returning to his home division after an unsuccessful attempt to win the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg), Israel adesanya will face Marvin vettori for the middleweight title. The duel will headline the UFC 263 scheduled for June 12th. The category leader has a record of 20 wins and just one defeat.
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