UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya thinks he already has a mental edge over Marvin Vettori.
Adesanya faces Vettori in the main event of UFC 263 on June 12, a rematch from their first outing, where Adesanya edged out Vettori via split decision in April 2018.
Adesanya is set for the first rematch in his MMA career, but it’s not against who everyone expected. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who Adesanya dethroned to capture the title at UFC 243, has since scored victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, cementing his spot as the division’s No. 1 contender.
But Adesanya explains that Whittaker was actually his first choice, but “The Reaper” wasn’t ready to compete on the June date that Adesanya pinpointed for his return.
“I wanted to fight Rob after I’d seen him with Kelvin,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Marvin was like, ‘I want to go in October.’ Rob was like, ‘I want to go in September.’ I’m like, ‘Look, I’m going in June. Whoever wants it, step up,’ and yeah, the Italian stepped up, so kudos to him.”
Vettori (17-4-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) has also been on a tear since losing to Adesanya (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). “The Italian Dream” has won his past five in a row, including back-to-back wins over Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland. Despite the marketed improvements that Vettori has made in his recent run, Adesanya thinks he already has him figured out.
“Kamaru (Usman) just gave him a little taste of what it’s like when you already know the person,” Adesanya said. “You know you have their number, and he’s still holding onto that f*cking single leg, like he’s holding onto that loss. So proud of that loss. He’s holding onto that loss better than his best wins, so I’m in his head, rent-free, camping.”
