Adesanya fights smart, controls Vettori and keeps middleweight belt at UFC 263

The technique won. In the main fight of UFC 263, held this Saturday (12), in Glendale (USA), Israel adesanya once again proved why he is one of the most prestigious names in recent Ultimate history. In the rematch against Marvin vettori, the Nigerian acted intelligently and dominated his opponent for around 25 minutes. After five rounds, the athlete was declared the winner in a unanimous decision by the judges, retaining the middleweight title (under 83,9kg).

There was curiosity among sports enthusiasts to know how Israel would fare after suffering the first defeat in its career. In March, the Nigerian moved up to light heavyweight (up to 93kg) to try to win his second title in the company, but ended up being defeated by Jan Blachowicz.

About three months later, Adesanya returned to the category in which he has been champion since 2019 and proved to have overcome the negative result well. Sharp in dodging and efficient in controlling Vettori's takedowns, the champion abused counterattacks and gave the Italian's strategy no chance.

With the positive result, Israel maintains its unbeaten record at middleweight. Now, the athlete has reached his third title defense.

Another victim of Adesanya, Vettori was unable to repeat his good performance from 2018. In the first meeting with Israel, in 2018, the Italian managed to balance the duel and ended up losing in a split decision from the judges.

The fight

The duel started with Adesanya taking the initiative with a low kick. With another kick, this time to the waistline, the champion tried to control the distance in the confrontation. Vettori tried a combination of punches, but Israel dodged it efficiently. Marvin responded with two low kicks on the champion, but the Nigerian didn't land the blow. Adesanya kicked again, but ended up being surprised by his opponent, who grabbed his legs and took the duel to the ground. On top, the Italian looked for transitions, while Israel dragged himself to the bars to try to get up. The champion managed to get up, but was pressed against the bars. The Nigerian managed to free himself and the duel was once again played in the center of the Octagon. Adesanya continued to bet on kicks and the challenger continued to move forward. The Italian tried to corner the champion with combinations of punches, but Adesanya remained sharp with his dodges. In the final minute, Israel insisted on undermining its rival's base and Marvin continued looking for counterattacks.

In the second stage, the champion struck the first blow again, with a kick to the Italian's right leg. Vettori walked forward and tried to press the champion against the bars. The challenger connected a clean jab and straight to Israel's face, but the champion didn't land the blow. Adesanya leaned against the fence, lowered his guard and provoked his opponent, who threw blows into space. Just over a minute into the round, Marvin went for the Nigerian's legs, which opened the base and prevented the fall. The Italian continued to push, but Adesanya managed to move away. In the center of the octagon, Israel awaited the opponent's attacks to strike in the counterattack. Israel continued to mislead its opponent, forcing the challenger to launch attacks that did not hit him. Even wasting attacks, the Italian continued chasing the champion around the octagon. Adesanya, however, scored every time his opponent threw a strike. Near the final minute, Vettori pressed the champion against the bars, but Israel defended himself well. Israel moved away again and tried to surprise his opponent with a high kick, which ended up in his rival's guard. The stage ended with the combatants accepting the frank exchange in the center of the Octagon.

In the opening seconds of the third round, Vettori went for the legs and managed to take down the champion. From below, the Nigerian stuck to his opponent, who was looking for mount. In a position of advantage, Marvin struck the Nigerian from top to bottom. Away from bars, Israel tried to resist the bad times. After just over a minute, Vettori tried the rear naked choke, but Adesanya defended himself and managed to reverse the position. The champion got up, while his opponent remained on the ground. The Italian attempted a heel hook, but the Nigerian did well and the duel returned to the feet. After the tense moment, Adesanya rocked the challenger with a right uppercut. The Italian continued walking forward and landed a clean punch on the champion's face. The confrontation remained tense, with the possibility of a knockout for both sides. With a low kick, Israel knocked his opponent off balance. The Italian responded with a cross, but the timer ran to zero.

The fourth stage began with Israel more aggressive, with combinations of punches and kicks. The Italian didn't let his attacks go unanswered, but Adesanya made his reputation known for his excellent dodging. The challenger went for the legs again, but Israel defended himself, with his back against the bars. The Italian forced it, got the takedown, but was reversed by his opponent. Adesanya didn't want anything to do with fighting on the ground and allowed his opponent to get up. In the center of the octagon, the champion let his guard down and took risks whenever his opponent threw punches. Near the final minute, Adesanya connected a good series of crosses to the challenger's face. The Italian responded with kicks, but the advantage remained with the champion. In the final seconds, the Italian looked for a takedown again. With his back against the fence, the Nigerian protected himself and prevented his opponent's advances. The assault ended without action on the part of the athletes.

For the last round, Vettori needed to go all or nothing. However, the Nigerian took the initiative, with a sequence of kicks. Marvin insisted on the takedown again and, as in previous stages, the champion did a good job of defense. The Italian was pushing hard, but the champion broke his opponent's posture. The division leader moved away, but the challenger continued walking forward. In the center of the Octagon, Vettori threw jabs, but Adesanya dodged. The minutes passed and Israel managed the result, betting on counterattacks. Near the final minute, Vettori flew into his opponent's legs and managed to knock the champion off balance. Adesanya got up and used the fence to posture. Without much action, the crowd began to boo the fighters, who practically did not strike. The referee separated the athletes and the duel was played again in the center of the octagon. The champion threw a combination of punches, followed by a high kick. Marvin continued to walk forward, but with no effectiveness in his attacks. The Italian tried another takedown, but there was no more time.

UFC 263 results

MAIN CARD 

Average weight: Israel adesanya derrotou Marvin vettori in the unanimous decision of the judges (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – Title fight

Fly weight: Brandon Moreno finished Deiveson Figueiredo with a rear naked choke at 2m26s of R3 – Title fight

Welterweight Weight: Leon edwards derrotou Nate diaz in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

Welterweight Weight: Belal Muhammad | derrotou Demian Maia in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig derrotou Jamahal hill by technical knockout at 1m59s of R1

PRELIMINARY CARD

Lightweight: Brad Riddell derrotou Drew dober in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Light Heavyweight: Erik Anders derrotou Darren stewart in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)

Fly weight: Lauren Murphy derrotou Joanne calderwood in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Feather weight: Movsar Evloev derrotou Hakeem dawodu in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Bantamweight: Pannie kianzad derrotou Alexis Davis in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Lightweight: terrance mckinney derrotou Matt frevola by knockout at 7sec. from R1

Featherweight: Steven Peterson defeated Chase Hooper in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Lightweight: fares ziam derrotou Luigi Vendramini in the judges' majority split decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28)

Heavyweight: Carlos Boi derrotou Jake collier in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)