Marvin Vettori has fought Israel Adesanya twice and it’s safe to say there is no love lost between the two UFC middleweight stars.
‘The Last Stylebender’ is slated to defend his middleweight championship against former Glory Kickboxing rival Alex Pereira. The two will meet inside the Octagon for what is technically their third match-up against one another. The other two took place under the Glory of Heroes banner in 2016 and 2017. In their second meeting, Adesanya was famously knocked out by Pereira and was given oxygen while recovering in the ring shortly after.
During his appearance at a media event for UFC Paris, Marvin Vettori gave his thoughts on the upcoming middleweight title clash scheduled for UFC 281 on November 12th.
“I want Pereira to win just because it would excite me more as the next challenger, eventually,” Vettori said. “And I think that will happen because after this, I’m going to establish myself as the No. 1 contender. I mean, what’s left for me? I’ve pretty much fought everybody, and I think it will be undeniable, another title shot with a great performance against Whittaker.
“Adesanya, it’s over. Nothing excites me about that guy. Of course, I’ll get my win against him before I’m done with all this, but the things that he can do best – now he’s painting his nails. I definitely like more Pereira and the way he carries himself and the way he goes about fighting and all that – not much bullsh*t, just straight, bad motherf*cker type of thing, and that’s it.”
Vettori will look to position himself for another title opportunity on Saturday when the No. 3 ranked ‘Italian Dream’ meets No. 1 ranked former world champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris.
Marvin Vettori is Ready to See Israel Adesanya’s Title Reign End
Marvin Vettori has shared the Octagon with Israel Adesanya on two separate occasions. Their first meeting in 2018 ended in a closely contested split decision in favor of ‘The Last Sytlebender.’ The two were paired up once again at UFC 263, this time with the UFC middleweight title up for grabs. Adesanya once again was on the right side of a decision, but this time it was unanimous.
“I really hope he goes out in another oxygen mask, and I think it can happen, because that’s going to be a kickboxing fight,” Vettori said.
With a win over Robert Whittaker, Vettori could stake his claim as the clear No. 1 contender for the middleweight championship. Getting a title shot could still be a tough sell considering he has already lost to Adesanya on two separate occasions. Should Alex Pereira defeat Adesanya, it would be easier to put ‘The Italian Dream’ in that position as Pereira vs. Vettori would be a fresh matchup for the promotion.
🇮🇹 ✈️ 🇫🇷@MarvinVettori ready to storm into #UFCParis on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/N7L2TFWnez
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 1, 2022
