Adesanya defeats Vettori to retain UFC middleweight title

The Last Stylebender Israel Adesanya has successfully retained his UFC middleweight title after he defeated Italy’s Marvin Vettori by a unanimous decision at UFC 263 in Arizona.

Adesanya was facing Vettori in a rematch, having won the first of their battles in April 2018 by a split decision. The Nigerian-born New Zealander went the distance with his Italian adversary before winning the fight on a unanimous decision as he successfully defended the middleweight title he first won in 2019 for a third time. 

After his win over Vettori, Adesanya called out the number one contender for his title, Robert Whittaker, for a second meeting between them. Adesanya has stated that he wants the fight to hold in his home city of Auckland. The Last Stylebender has lived up to his billing as the number one ranked middleweight in the UFC, and his stock continues to rise.