PHOENIX — The bad blood simmering between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori reached an explosive crescendo Thursday afternoon in a rollicking and often incoherent press conference ahead of the pair’s UFC 263 rematch.
Adesanya is set to return to his old stomping grounds at 185 pounds on Saturday to defend his title following a failed attempt to win a second belt from UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in March. The setback marked the first loss of Adesanya’s MMA career, and it’s one Vettori reminded Adesanya of several times at Thursday’s pre-fight press event.