Adesanya beats Vettori again to retain UFC middleweight title

THE Ultimate Fighting Championship title rematch between the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori ended in a unanimous victory for the Nigerian on Sunday morning in Arizona, United States of America.

The mixed martial arts fight, which was the main event of UFC 263, was preceded with a lot of bad blood between the two combatants but Adesanya put his superiority on full display to retain his crown.

In round one, the ‘Style Bender’ started off the fight with leg kicks and kept his composure even after Vettori secured a takedown.

Adesanya continued to dominate into the second round, punishing Vettori with counter shots that hurt the ‘Italian Dream’.

The Nigerian ended the round stronger with a takedown and caused damage to Vettori’s legs.

Vettori attempted to get back into the match in the third round and almost choked out Adesanya, but the Nigerian broke free.

Vettori then poked Adesanya in the eye, which caused a temporary halt to the fight.

Adesanya landed a leg kick that dropped Vettori but he (Adesanya) connected with a groin shot by accident which led to another temporary stop.

Vettori got desperate in the final two rounds, looking for a finish to avoid losing via a decision. But Adesanya took evasive action and landed enough blows from the outside to win the fourth round.

By the fifth round, it was clear that only a knockout could earn Vettori a win and Adesanya cruised through, avoiding any mistakes that could lose him the fight.

The 31-year-old Adesanya, born in Nigeria but now representing New Zealand, improved his record to 21 wins and one defeat, while Vettori’s is 17 wins, five defeats and one draw.

Adesanya also won the first fight between the two in 2018 but Vettori insisted that he was cheated.