Israel Adesanya remains undefeated, but he was forced to go the distance UFC Fight Night Glendale.
The fight did not deliver the highlight reel finish many were expecting from the kiwi, with the fight going to decision for the first time in Adesanya’s career.
Facing a stern test in Marvin Vettori, Adesanya once again demonstrated his elusive striking skills that have seen him recognised as one of the top prospects in the UFC today. Adesanya controlled the distance and landed the better shots throughout the fight, particularly over the first two rounds, but Vettori was an extremely game opponent.
Remains PERFECT! 👌@StyleBender takes care of business with a split decision victory. #UFCGlendale pic.twitter.com/xMTrtpq07T
— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2018
The third round saw Vettori take Adesanya down to the ground, but he ultimately failed to deliver any substantial shots before Adesnya managed to get to his feet and referee Herb Dean seprated the action due to inactivity.
The superior striking of Adesanya over the first two rounds was enough however to get the win in the judges’ eyes. All three judges scored the fight 29-28, with two scoring the fight for Adesanya, and one pecurliar score card in the favour of Vettorri.
In the post-fight interview, Adesanya said he was not happy with his performance.
“He had better head movement than I anticipated, a wins a win, but I’m not happy with it,” Adesanya told UFC commentator Jon Anik.
The win improves Adesanya’s record to 13-0, Vettori drops to 12-4-1.
