Marvin Vettori issues statement following unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 263

UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 263.

Vettori was confident he had the skillset to beat Adesanya in a rematch after they fought to a split decision three years ago, but the champion proved why he’s the best middleweight in the world with a clear unanimous decision victory.

Marvin Vettori vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 263.

Although Vettori was able to land several takedowns in the fight, he wasn’t able to control Adesanya on the ground, and he also lost the striking battle on the feet, which led to the judges unanimously going against him. Vettori showed a lot of heart and toughness, but he just wasn’t at the champ’s level.

Taking to his social media following the loss to Adesanya at UFC 263, Vettori issued a statement about his latest defeat. Take a look at what “The Italian Dream” wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQE0cPnro8o/?

“Head’s up, moral is high, a lot of good, some mistakes to be addressed. One thing for sure: The Italian Dream is well and alive. Thank you for all the support 🇮🇹“

Vettori was riding a five-fight win streak into this fight, so losing to Adesanya won’t set him too far back in the UFC middleweight rankings. The problem is that he has now lost twice to the champion, meaning a trilogy at this point seems very unlikely. As it stands, Vettori will likely be rooting for Robert Whittaker to dethrone Adesanya in their planned rematch.

If that happens, then Whittaker will have a new challenger for him as he and Vettori haven’t fought yet. But at this point, it seems like he will just get back to work and see what the UFC offers him next. Vettori against someone like Paulo Costa, who just lost to Adesanya himself, would seem to make sense as a potential opponent. But at this point, he may just need to take some time off to improve his skillset and come back stronger.

What do you think is next for Marvin Vettori after losing to Israel Adesanya at UFC 263?