Israel Adesanya beats Vettori to retain UFC middleweight title

Israel Adesanya, Nigerian-New Zealander mixed martial artist, has retained his middleweight title by defeating Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision.

All three judges scored the bout 50-45 for Adesanya at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Adesanya largely dominated the fight from start to finish, using his leg kicks as a major debilitating weapon against Vettori.

Although the Italian did secure multiple takedowns in the fight, they were few and far between and were often reversed by the Kiwi.

Vettori’s best moment came in the third round when he got Adesanya on his back and worked for a rear-naked choke. However, the struggle was brief and Adesanya wiggled his way out to land on top.

The ‘Last Stylebender’ — who failed to take the light heavyweight belt off Jan Blachowicz in March — had also defeated the ‘Italian Dream’ back in 2018.

In his post-fight interview, Adesanya said he wants a rematch with Robert Whittaker in Auckland, New Zealand.

The 31-year-old knocked out Whittaker in October 2019 to become the undisputed champion in the middleweight category.

“You don’t get to decide. I get to decide. Because I’m the mother f—ing king,” Adesanya said.