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UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to defend his title at UFC 263. He'll fight American-Italian fighter Marvin Vettori for the second time after beating him via split decision in 2018 in their first match.
The aftermath of the first fight still weighs heavily on Adesanya's mind as he revealed that Vettori didn't shake his hand after the bout in an interview with Combat TV. The interviewer asked him if this fight was going to be more personal, and Israel Adesanya replied yes.
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"Oh yeah, definitely. He didn't shake my hand after the last fight, after I whoop his a**. So, after I whoop his a** again, I won't let him shake my hand. I'll leave no doubt in his head that he's not even on my level. He's not the fighter of my caliber, that's the point I'm trying to prove to him."
Adesanya added that he doesn't need to prove his greatness to anyone else. He explained that fans forgetting his skills is a recurring theme and that he'll be back on the hype train after he beats Vettori.
"They already know. They've seen it. It's time because after my last fight, people do this to me. They forget and think, 'oh, he sucks.' Then I come in and I whoop someone crazy and they're like 'oh shit.'"
Israel Adesanya might have lost his last fight against Jan Blachowicz, but he is still unbeaten in his actual weight class at middleweight. He has an overall MMA record of 20-1 and has stopped everybody that has come into his path.
Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 1: Adesanya's closest fight at middleweight
Their first fight was a slugfest, making the rematch a must-watch for the fans. The Nigerian out-struck Vettori in terms of significant strikes but also gave up two takedowns. The first round was the closest one, as they both had similar levels of output. However, Adesanya edged it on significant strikes.
Israel Adesanya took the second round by out-striking Vettori and stuffing his takedowns. However, Vettori finally found some success with his takedowns in the third round and took Adesanya down twice. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Israel Adesanya, while the third gave it to Vettori with a similar score.
It was the closest fight of Adesanya's career. 'The Last Stylebender' has knocked out 15 opponents and won four fights via unanimous decision. Will their rematch go the same way, or has Israel Adesanya improved enough to knock Vettori out? Sound off in the comments!
