Israel Adesanya may have won a unanimous decision in a rematch against Marvin Vettori to defend his middleweight championship at UFC 263, but had one man on his mind after the fight: Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya (21-1) kept out of reach from Vettori's powerful punches most of the night and used his feet effectively, keeping the Italian fighter off balance.
MORE: Whittaker prepared for long-awaited Adesanya rematch
The 31-year-old won 50-45 on all three judges' scorecards in the third full-capacity UFC event without coronavirus-related restrictions.
Following the fight, Adesanya did not mince his words regarding Whittaker when asked what was next.
"That other c–t, what's his name? Rob Whittaker, Bobby Knuckles," Adesanya said, when asked what was next.
"I knocked him out twice … I don't know what the f–k is going to happen with this whole COVID s–t.
"But we need to run that back in Auckland. We need to run that back in my territory this time.
"I'll tell you when it is. You don't get to decide. I get to decide. Cause why? I'm the motherf—ing king, b—h."
https://twitter.com/robwhittakermma/status/1403944979030974466
Since losing his middleweight crown to Adesanya in a second-round finish back in 2019, Whittaker has won three consecutive fights to become the No.1 contender again.
Adesanya lost to light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in his last fight while trying to add a second title belt, but remains undefeated as a middleweight.
In the co-main event, flyweight Brandon Moreno (19-5-2) became the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history, using a rear naked choke in the third round in a rematch against Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1).
Adesanya and Vettori fought in Glendale three years ago, a split-decision win by Adesanya that left neither fighter satisfied.
Vettori believed he won, Adesanya thought it was too close and the buildup to the rematch was contentious, including an off-the-rails news conference Thursday.
Vettori (17-4-1), as he did in the first fight, had some success on the ground in the rematch after a couple of takedowns. Adesanya wriggled free and was effective with his feet, wearing out the Italian's front leg while dodging most of his big punches.
Adesanya snaked out of another takedown and continued to work over Vettori with his feet to defend his title.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.