UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori challenged a rematch with champion Israel Adesanya after winning against Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 23 on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Italian defeated the late replacement Kevin Holland through a unanimous decision after completing a record high of 11 takedowns. With five winning streaks, Marvin Vettori thinks he is now competent to fight Israel Adesanya. And he seems very confident about his chances.
Previously Vettori met the Last Stylebender in early 2018, which was a defeat for Vettori. Adesanya has since dominated the lightweight division while the Italian Dream worked on his ranking.
However, Vettori was 23 years old when he fought Adesanya in 2018. Egyptian MMA manager and promoter. Ali Abdelaziz thinks Vettori should not count that fight and leave Adesanya alone. “He was a kid he didn’t really know what he’s doing,” Ali said in an interview with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan.
Further, Abdelaziz called Vettori a “psychopath” as he keeps challenging Israel. “He’s obsessed with Israel listen um you got Derek Brunson there he got Kevin Gaslin there they’re all my guys.”
Marvin Vettori vs Israel Adesanya first fight
Israel Adesanya won the three-round battle via a split decision. However, Vettori opened the bout aggressively but could not keep his pace at the end. Adesanya was loose on the outside and united the win via a few early punches and blocking kicks from the Italian.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 06: Israel Adesanya makes his way to the Octagon for the Middleweight title bout during UFC 243 at Marvel Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
After that loss, Vettori has been pushing hard for the last three years to get a second crack at Adesanya. However, he believed that a split decision at UFC on FOX 29 should have gone his way. However, it was one of the most competitive bouts Adesanya had experienced during his entire UFC career.
Adesanya is yet to make any comment on Vettori’s challenge. The Last Stylebender is now focusing on title fights as his undefeated run recently came to an end due to the unsuccessful move up to light heavyweight.
