‘Italy Is Going To Have Its First UFC Champ’

Marvin Vettori will challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title in the upcoming UFC 263 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this Sat. night (June 12, 2021) from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

And it’s nothing but optimism from Team “Dream.”

“Expect a great fight, expect a great war, Italy is going to have its first UFC champ,” Coach Rafael Cordeiro said. “We are super excited for this, we are grateful to UFC for the opportunity to fight for the belt.”

Vettori (17-4-1), who turns 28 in September, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland on ABC last April, marking the eighth time “The Italian Dream” has gone to the judges’ scorecards in 10 trips to the Octagon.

“Every minute that goes by I get more excited about this,” Vettori added.

This will mark the first time fans have seen Adesanya (20-1) since he was defeated by light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. And no doubt Vettori, who took “The Last Stylebender” to the limit at UFC on FOX 29, is hoping to replicate the Pole’s performance.

If you missed Episodes 1-4 of UFC 263 “Embedded” click here, here, here, and here.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the entire UFC 263 fight card and PPV line up click here.