Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is expected to headline UFC 263 in a rematch with no. 3 ranked Marvin Vettori. Combate first reported the bout and UFC president Dana White confirmed the news to ESPN.
Adesanya suffered his first career defeat in his last outing against light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, but he’s still undefeated as a middleweight. He and Vettori fought in April 2018 and resulted in a razor-close split decision win for Adesanya. It was Adesanya’s second Octagon appearance.
Since the loss to Adesanya, Vettori has been flawless. He’s put together a five-fight winning streak. “The Italian Dream” believes the rematch will go differently than their first meeting.
The fight promotion is targeting the June 12th date, but the location and venue has not been announced yet. On Saturday, UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., was the first indoor sporting event to host a capacity crowd since the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions were implemented last year. The location of UFC 263 will likely depend on what cities and states are opening up to large crowds. The fight promotion has events booked for May featuring sold-out crowds in Houston, and Las Vegas.
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Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori rematch headlines UFC 263
