"I want to look through his soul and just eat him" - Marvin Vettori sends final warning to Israel Adesanya before UFC 263 title clash

Marvin Vettori sent a final warning to Israel Adesanya before their UFC 263 title clash. Vettori has warned that he wants to "look through his soul and just eat him."

The first fight between Vettori and Adesanya transpired at UFC on FOX: Poirier vs. Gaethje in April 2018. Adesanya won the fight via split decision. Their rivalry didn’t fade away, however, and gradually kept intensifying in the ensuing years.

Adesanya is now set to put his UFC middleweight title on the line against Vettori in a rematch at UFC 263. Their rivalry has seemingly reached another crescendo, evidenced by multiple verbal altercations that almost turned physical in the buildup to their rematch.

Well, that escalated quickly...Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori went OFF on each other at the #UFC263 press conference 🤬Make no mistake about it, this title fight is personal! pic.twitter.com/qRSqpzbs62

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 11, 2021

During the UFC 263 Weigh-in Show, former UFC fighter and current UFC analyst Din Thomas asserted that Marvin Vettori is one of the most intense individuals in all of MMA. Thomas recalled that back when the Italian’s fight against Karl Roberson fell apart at the last minute, Vettori continued working out in the dressing room and was still mad at Roberson.

Thomas then proceeded to ask Marvin Vettori where this intensity came from. Vettori responded by stating:

“I’m business, man. This, you know, this is my life. I don’t play with this sh**. That’s why you don’t see me like, if it’s outside or things like this – like, in those situations where I can get pulled from the fight and things like this – I’m not gonna risk it, you know. You’re not gonna see me punching the guy in the press conference or things like this. But, like, I wanna eat him with my eyes when I see him. I wanna look through his soul and just eat him. Like, just like, tame this motherf**ker. Like, that’s what I wanna do. I wanna eat him alive.”

Watch the full interview below:

Marvin Vettori reiterated his belief that everything about Israel Adesanya is “fake”

Marvin Vettori (left) has often claimed that Israel Adesanya (right) is fake

Recently retired UFC fighter and longtime UFC analyst Paul Felder chimed in with a question regarding the intense animosity between 'The Italian Dream' and 'The Last Stylebender'. Felder suggested that although bad blood between opponents is commonplace in the UFC, there seems to be something about Adesanya that can Vettori can’t stand.

Paul Felder also harked back to earlier fighter meetings where Marvin Vettori indicated that his rivalry with Adesanya would likely be hashed out after their fight, but he still won’t be friends with Adesanya. Felder went on to ask what drives Vettori so crazy about Adesanya. Vettori responded to this by explaining:

“He’s fake. It doesn’t drive me crazy. He’s just fake. He’s just a fake guy. I don’t like fakeness. There’s too much fakeness in this world nowadays. I stand by the opposite. I stand for the opposite values. Like, this is fake. He believed into his own, like, into his own fake story. And his whole character, his whole story, is fake. Everything about him is fake, you know. And I can’t stand that.” (*Video courtesy: UFC; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

The UFC middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori will headline UFC 263 and take place at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on June 12th, 2021.