Israel Adesanya couldn't help but have a little fun in the cage as he blitzed Italy's Marvin Vettori to defend his middleweight title at UFC 263, though some fans have accused his in-cage antics of being 'disrespectful'.
New Zealand star Adesanya retained his undefeated status in the UFC's 185lbs fold in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday night as he eased to a one-sided unanimous decision win in a rematch with Vettori, more than three years after the Italian brawler had taken Adesanya to a split decision in one of the most competitive fights of his career.
This time though, not so much. Adesanya, fighting for the first time since losing in his bid to become a two-division champ against Jan Blachowicz earlier this year, showed little sign of adding a second defeat to his career record as he used his extensive striking repertoire to stifle Vettori through much of the 25-minute fight, unleashing a barrage of leg strikes to keep his aggressive opponent at bay while also finding numerous opportunities to pepper the challenger with punches.
Vettori's best moment came in the early stages of the third round when, after receiving a telling-off from his coach Rafael Cordeiro, he scored an early takedown against the champion and appeared in position to lock in a fight-ending choke but the wily Adesanya wriggled free and soon found himself in the ascendency once more.
The increasingly desperate Vettori was game throughout and rarely backed down from an exchange but a gulf in class between the two fighters was evident, and later confirmed by the judges who unanimously scored the fight 50-45 in Adesanya's favor.
One moment towards the end of the fourth round, though, caught the fans' attention when it appeared that Adesanya grabbed Vettori's rear-end as he pushed for a takedown against the fence, with some fans saying that the champion was unnecessarily disrespectful - particularly after Adesanya told commentator Joe Rogan afterwards that he had demanded repsect from Vettori.
"I was just saying at the end of the day, I don’t like you, you don’t like me but this is martial arts, show some respect," Adesanya said. "'Cause that’s lost in this game so you need to have that.
"Like I said, even at the press conference when he stood up, I sat down because I didn’t feel any threat."
MORENO EARNS REVENGE
If Vettori was to go home disappointed, though, the other title challenger on the stacked UFC 263 card experienced the opposite emotion when Brandon Moreno scored a fight-ending rear-naked choke win against former dominant flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo in a rematch of their 2020 Fight of the Year majority draw last December.
Moreno, who becomes the first-ever Mexican champion in UFC history, delivered an emphatic performance against the previously once-beaten Figueiredo, flummoxing the champion with his pace and quick strikes while remaining wary of the series of powerful counters Figueiredo was launching in return.
Perhaps sensing that the fight was getting away from him, Figueiredo looked to initiate grappling exchanges - but Moreno was wise to his opponent, and used one such opportunity to work for the fight-ending choke which forced Figueiredo to relinquish his title.
Moreno's coronation as champion comes just three years after he was released by the UFC, and once the gravity of the situation fully sank it was clear to see what the achievement meant to him.
"This moment is so amazing,” a tearful Moreno said. "This f*cking life, the UFC released me from the company but watch me now talking to you, holding this heavy belt, I feel so amazing.
"I worked so hard for this. Watch me now holding this. It’s unbelievable. I’m so f*cking happy! Viva Mexico!"
Figueiredo, for his part, congratulated Moreno for his victory and hoisted the new champion on his shoulders, telling the audience: "The man I am, I preach love thy neighbor. Today, the biggest man was Brandon Moreno. Today was his day."
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