Marvin Vettori firmly believes that Israel Adesanya’s reign at the top has come to an end.
In a shocking upset, Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) recently lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) at UFC 293. “The Stylebender” suffered a knockdown in the first round and ultimately succumbed to a clear unanimous decision loss.
It’s no secret that Vettori, who has faced Adesanya before, has never been a fan of the former champion. However, echoing sentiments shared by several analysts, he believes it’s time for the middleweight division to move forward.
Marvin Vettori didn’t mince words when expressing his feelings about a potential rematch with Israel Adesanya, stating his disapproval on the Dream Rare Podcast.
He candidly remarked, “I just don’t like this guy. Can I not like this guy? I don’t fcking like this guy, so I personally think that he doesn’t deserve a fcking rematch. Why? I don’t even think he wants a rematch. He felt like he’s going to lose again, so I don’t even think he wants the rematch right now.”
Vettori believes it’s time to explore other contenders in the division, with Sean Strickland as the new champion. He mentioned, “Let’s see what Sean will do as the champ. He shook up the division, and I think Dricus Du Plessis is on the line. He beat up Robert Whittaker the way he did, you cannot deny him a f*cking title shot, way more than Adesanya. I think that’s also a very good fight for Strickland.”
Furthermore, Vettori, who is coming off a loss to Jared Cannonier, believes that “The Killa Gorilla” should also be considered for a title shot. Cannonier served as a backup for the Strickland vs. Adesanya bout and has a recent victory over Strickland, making him a noteworthy contender in the division.
Marvin Vettori remains adamant that Israel Adesanya’s days as the middleweight champion are behind him.
In his own words, Vettori expressed, “Oh, fcking Jared – Jared too. They will come at me for sure: ‘You’re salty,’ this and that. I think Adesanya’s time is over. It’s passed, so we’ll see. But I don’t think that rematch would even sell. I don’t know. Definitely, I would be way more excited to see Strickland and Du Plessis or even a rematch with Cannonier, and down the road, who fcking knows.”
