Israel Adesanya defeated Marvin Vettori in a unanimous decision at the end of round five to defend the UFC 263 Middleweight belt on Sunday morning.
The Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, returned to a familiar place, the win column, against a familiar opponent, Marvin Vettori, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event of UFC 263, which took place before a full crowd inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Unsurprisingly, in the first round, there was no glove touch between the two sworn enemies. Marvin came out looking to push the pace and get the fight on his terms (the ground), while Adesanya chipped away at the legs and circled the cage. Adesanya went to the well one too many times early and Marvin caught a low kick and scored a quick takedown. He scooted to the cage and threw up a triangle that he turned into and escaped. Back on their feet, Marvin tried to get him back to the ground, but Adesanya was able to slip out and get back to his feet. Marvin pumped jabs, but Adesanya’s head was already in another location by the time the shots arrived. Marvin tried to trap him along the cage, but Adesanya was able to dip and move, exiting out of danger and going to work with his kicks. He seemed to hurt Marvin, but the Italian put on a solid poker face and kept up the pressure. Adesanya ended the round with a solid shovel hook, but the takedown and control could mean that Marvin is up 1-0 on the judges’ scorecards.
Marvin continued the pressure to start the second stanza, but Adesanya was the one scoring with kicks and punches from all sorts of crazy angles.