
Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya proved to the world once more that he is still the best middleweight in the world by shutting down Marvin Vettori. Although many believed that Adesanya would win since he was the favorite, Vettori was thought to give Adesanya problems especially on the ground.
In their first encounter, Vettori has said that he won the fight but the two judges did not agree with his side. So what better way to settle the argument than to book a rematch.
Right off the bat, Adesanya threw leg kicks and Vettori had no answer at first but then eventually timed a leg kick that led to a takedown. Adesanya was clearly the superior striker but Vettori also had his moments and even landed a few good punches.
Vettori managed to take him down but Adesanya was able to stand back up in just little time. There was even a time that Vettori took his back but then Adesanya just reversed it easily. It was a great showcase of Adesanya’s grappling game.
It was a bit lackluster as Vettori shot a lot of takedowns but it was a smart gameplan. It was just that Adesanya got the better not only in the striking department but also in the grappling. The fight ended in a one sided decision, all judges scored the fight to Adesanya. In the later parts, Vettori’s leg was completely busted due to the many leg kicks absorbed.
What was amazing is Adesanya’s grappling game, he showed huge improvements and might make him even harder to deal with. Adesanya already has one of the best striking games, with feints as his best asset. In his loss to Blachowicz, he had no answer to Blachowicz grappling in the later rounds that made him loss by decision.
After the fight, Adesanya then called out Robert Whittaker to fight in Auckland. Adesanya’s hometown but it is also where Whittaker was born. Their first fight took place on Melbourne which is Whittaker’s hometown. It will be a massive fight if it happens, and no other fighter deserves to fight for the title than Whittaker.