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Adesanya made sure there would be no dissenting scorecards in
his rematch with Marvin
Vettori. “The Last Stylebender” was in peak form in the
UFC 263 headliner, retaining his middleweight crown with a
clear-cut, five-round verdict over Marvin
Vettori at Gila Riva Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday
night. Adesanya swept the scorecards by identical 50-45 counts to
extend his winning streak to 10 at 185 pounds. Included in that run
is a split-decision triumph over Vettori at UFC on Fox 29 in April
2018.
A more evolved version of Adesanya (21-1, 10-1 UFC) was rarely
threatened by Vettori (17-5-1, 7-3-1 UFC) the second time around.
The
City Kickboxing standout kept his opponent guessing with
confounding movement, punching combinations to the head and kicks
to the head and legs, the latter of which made the “The Italian
Dream” stumble on multiple occasions. Though Vettori was able to
land a few takedowns in the early portion of the fight, Adesanya
returned to his feet without issue and denied many more of his
foe’s shots as the time went on.
It was a nice bounceback effort for the Nigerian-born Kiwi, who was
coming off a failed bid for light heavyweight gold against Jan
Blachowicz at UFC 259 in March. Vettori, meanwhile, saw a
five-bout winning streak come to an end. In the aftermath of his
latest triumph, Adesanya turned his attention to a rematch with
Robert
Whittaker, whom he defeated via second-round knockout to claim
the 185-pound throne in October 2019.
“Whittaker, my arch-nemesis, Bobby Knuckles. I don’t know what the
fu-k’s gonna happen with COVID; we need to run that back in
Auckland, in my territory this time,” Adesanya said. “I’ll tell you
what it is. I get to decide, you don’t get to decide. ‘Cause why?
I’m the motherf-cking king, b-tch.”
Moreno Taps Figueiredo, Claims Flyweight Gold
Brandon
Moreno left no doubt this time around.
After shocking the world by battling Deiveson
Figueiredo to a majority draw in a “Fight of the Year”
contender last December, Moreno claimed flyweight gold in emphatic
fashion, submitting his Brazilian foe with a rear-naked choke 2:26
into the third round of the UFC 263 co-main event. With the win,
Moreno joins Figueiredo, Henry
Cejudo and Demetrious
Johnson as the fourth 125-pound champion in UFC history.
“This moment is so amazing. This f-cking life,” said Moreno, who
became the first Mexican-born champion in promotion history. “UFC
released me, I wasn’t that proud of my life, but watch me hold this
belt. I feel so amazing.”
Moreno (19-5-2, 8-2-2 UFC) set the tone from the opening bell. He
landed consistent punching combinations before dropping Figueiredo
with a jab late in Round 1. From there, the Mexican standout
showcased his grappling prowess, assumed top position during a
scramble in Round 2 and ended the period there. Round 3 saw more of
the same, when “The Assassin Baby” quickly took Figueiredo (20-2-1,
9-2-1 UFC) down, transitioned to his back and locked in a body
triangle. Moreno diligently hunted for the rear-naked choke, using
punches to create openings before eventually sliding his arm under
his adversary’s neck. It was only a matter of moments before
Figueiredo had to ask out of the fight.
Edwards Dominates Early, Then Holds Off Bloodied Diaz
For four rounds, Leon
Edwards was simply too technical, too well-rounded and too
poised for Nate Diaz. The
final frame, however, was a matter of survival.
The
Team Renegade member earned his first triumph since July 2019
with an impressive performance, taking a unanimous decision over
Diaz in a five-round, non-title affair. Edwards earned a trio of
49-46 scorecards from the cageside judges, disappointing the
pro-Diaz audience.
For the majority of the contest, Edwards (19-3, 1 NC, 11-2, 1 NC
UFC) dictated the terms of engagement. He chopped away with low
kicks, landed multiple takedowns and connected with several
straight left hands that drew nods of acknowledgement from his
opponent. “Rocky” also landed several solid elbows, including one
that appeared to open a nasty cut over Diaz’s left eye. Through it
all, Edwards ignored his opponent’s attempts to taunt and bait him
into a brawl.
“Nate’s a veteran. I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink,”
Edwards said. “Fair play to Nate, he’s so good. I give my respect
to Nate.”
Just when it appeared that Edwards was going to cruise to the
finish line, Diaz made things interesting in the final frame.
During a late exchange, the Stockton, California, native tagged
Edwards with a straight left that had the Englishman wobbling all
over the cage. Diaz (20-13, 15-11 UFC) doggedly pursued the finish
on his suddenly-reeling foe, but Edwards retained enough awareness
to make it to the final horn. While Edwards made a case for a
welterweight title shot, Diaz admitted he had a hard time getting
out of first gear.
“I had a hard time getting going all day today, all month long,”
Diaz said. I had a cut in training about a month ago. I think that
slowed my whole momentum down. “Congratulations to Leon, I wish I
could have took his ass the f–k out.”
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Muhammad Thwarts Maia’s Grappling
Solid takedown defense and timely punching combinations carried
Belal
Muhammad to a three-round verdict against former ADCC
Submission Wrestling World Championship gold medalist Demian Maia
at welterweight. “Remember the Name” earned scorecards of 30-27,
29-28 and 29-28 from the judges in what was a grueling affair
contested primarily on the feet. The 43-year-old Maia has lost five
of his last eight UFC appearances dating back to July 2017.
Maia’s gas tank gradually waned with each failed takedown attempt.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt grounded Muhammad (19-3, 10-3, 1
NC UFC) in the opening frame but couldn’t keep him down long enough
to seriously threaten with any submissions. The rest of the way,
Muhammad stuffed multiple shots while tagging his adversary with
crisp straight punches — including one that made Maia (28-11,
22-11 UFC) stumble backwards in Round 3. Unable to drag his man to
the canvas, a fatigued Maia was unable to match Muhammad’s output
on the feet. When all was said and done, Maia landed just one of
his 21 takedown tries in the fight.
Craig Snaps Hill’s Arm, Wins Via TKO
In an ideal world, Paul Craig
would have earned a quick submission triumph against Jamahal
Hill.
In reality, the Scottish fighter’s latest effort will go down in
the record books as a technical knockout victory. Either way, it
was a tough night at the office for light heavyweight prospect
Jamahal
Hill. Craig (15-4-1, 7-4-1 UFC) won his third straight in UFC
competition, forcing a stoppage from referee Al Guinee at the 1:59
mark of Round 1 when he trapped Hill in a triangle from his back
and landed punches and elbows from his back.
Hill (8-1, 1 NC, 2-1, 1 NC UFC) was already rendered helpless
before that final assault. Craig wasted little time pulling guard
and quickly transitioned to an armbar. Hill escaped once, but
“Bearjew” secured an overhook and locked in the maneuver once
again, this time bending his foe’s limb at an awkward angle. The
Dana White’s Contender Series alum then had to endure a salvo
of strikes as his injured arm flopped uselessly inside Craig’s
guard.
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UFC 263 Prelims: Anders Gets Closure in Stewart Rematch
