Adesanya vs Vettori 2 betting picks & odds – UFC 263 main event

Israel Adesanya will take on the latest contender for his UFC Middleweight Championship this Saturday in the main event of UFC 263 when he faces Marvin Vettori. BettingPlanet brings you the best bets, top odds and fight insights for this weekend’s top ticket in Glendale, Arizona.

Israel Adesanya vs Marvin Vettori UFC fight preview

Israel Adesanya (20-1-0) suffered the first loss of his professional career at UFC 259 in March when he was defeated by Jan Blachowicz in a bout for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The loss should do little to affect the image or legacy of Adesanya, as he was attempting to fight in a weight class 15 pounds higher than his without putting on additional weight. Adesanya returns to middleweight for this fight in a division where he is 20-0 with three successful title defenses and 15 wins coming by way of knockout.

Marvin Vettori (17-4-1) was supposed to fight Darren Till in April before Till had to pull out at the last minute with a broken collarbone. Vettori easily defeated Till’s replacement, Kevin Holland, by decision to earn his fifth straight victory in the UFC. The 27-year-old’s last loss came back in April of 2018 when he lost by split decision to Adesanya. He has come closer to defeating Adesanya than any other opponent has at middleweight; the champion’s other four decision wins were all unanimous.

Adesanya vs Vettori 2 predictions & best bets

This is a rematch three years in the making. Both fighters have improved since their last bout; Marvin Vettori has won five straight fights, and Israel Adesanya has won the UFC Middleweight Championship and emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars. In that first fight, Adesanya controlled the tempo in the first two rounds with some vicious strikes before Vettori took control in the third round with two takedowns.

Vettori recorded a middleweight-record 11 takedowns in his win over Kevin Holland. Adesanya’s takedown defense was exploited in his loss to Jan Blachowicz, so Vettori’s path to an upset clearly comes from taking this fight to the ground. The problem for the Italian, however, is that he is known to be overly aggressive when striking or seeking out takedowns. This plays right into the strengths of Adesanya, who is an elite striker with outstanding kickboxing skills and an 80-inch reach.

This figures to be a better fight than the UFC betting odds might indicate, so there is certainly value here on the underdog. But after losing his last fight and suffering a close call against Vettori in their previous fight, we expect a laser-focused Adesanya on Saturday night. His power and reach advantages should help him do enough damage to earn a hard-fought victory.