By Akinwale Kasali
Nigeria’s Ultimate Fighting sensation, Israel Adesanya has retained his UFC middleweight belt after defeating Italian contender, Marvin Vettori, at the Gila River Arena in Arizona early Sunday morning of June 13, 2021.
The Ogun State born, Nigerian UFC Champion won the fight via a unanimous decision of 50-45, 50-45, 50-45 scorecard from the three umpires.
This is his third title defence after losing to Jan Blachowicz in a bid to add the light heavyweight title to his laurels.
The Iron Bender, as he is fondly called by fans, showed improvements on his groundwork as he expertly untangled himself from all of Vettori’s takedowns.
Renowned as one of the best strikers in the division, the 31-year-old landed several leg shots and jabs as he dimmed Vettori’s dream of becoming the first Italian UFC champion.
It is the second time both fighters faced each other in the UFC with Adesanya running out victorious via split decision in their first meeting in April 2018, which was the Nigerian’s second outing in the UFC franchise.
Both fighters have had heated conversations on social media and during press conferences but Adesanya had said he was ready to defend his title and rule the middleweight division after failing to secure the light heavyweight title from Poland’s Jan Blachowicz last March.
He earlier promised to send the Italian to the floor in the second round but the fight ended at Round five.
Vettori attempted to make history early Sunday morning as he looked to dethrone Nigerian Israel Adesanya to become Italy’s first UFC titleholder.
Vettori, ranked third in the division, has won five straight bouts leading into this championship tussle.
Vettori is unofficially nicknamed “Angry Marvin” appropriately as he brings an aggressive, bar-room-brawling stand-up style to his fights. His footwork and movement are choppy, forcing him to rely on his power and belligerent forward pressure as opposed to any fluidity of movement or defensive evasiveness.
Vettori had only a few successful moments in the fight, scoring with a handful of takedowns, but Adesanya showcased improved grappling skills as he escaped back to his feet every time, including spinning out of a rear-naked choke attempt to end up in top position. Outside of those fleeting moments for Vettori, the fight was all Adesanya’s as he worked Vettori over with a steady diet of leg kicks.
In the end, Adesanya took every round on all three official scorecards, winning by scores of 50-45 across the board.
Adesanya will be looking forward to add the Light Heavyweight Championship belt to his Laurel after failing few months back against Polish fighter, Jan Blachowicz.
