"Division needs a new champ" - Marvin Vettori reacts to "boring" Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier fight; vows to become the champion soon.
Marvin Vettori was far from impressed with the efforts displayed by fellow middleweights Israel Adesanya and Jarred Cannonier at UFC 276.
'The Italian Dream' seemed frustrated by the lack of action and willingness to enter the fray. He has hinted at a title shot-worthy performance in his next outing.
The bout, scheduled to take place on September 4th, will be the stepping stone Vettori needs to secure his second shot at the title. He believes that a new champion is in order, and he no doubt sees himself as the rightful heir to the throne.
While many fans would probably agree with Vettori's take, it doesn't discount his general dislike for Adesanya. Unless the champion had a performance akin to Anderson Silva's in his legendary TKO of Forrest Griffin, Vettori would have been critical of Adesanya in some way.
The nature of the latest UFC middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier left many feeling deflated. Given Adesanya's pre-fight talk, one could assume that fans' expectations for this fight were high. As we have seen before, the kaleidoscope of body feints and slick side-steps that Adesanya incorporates often cause opponents to seem indecisive.
Vettori wrote the following on Twitter:
"Reality is this sh*t was so boring people walked off the arena after 3 rounds."
Reality is this shit was so boring people walked off the arena after 3 rounds.
The division needs a new champ and it’s gonna happen very soon.
9 weeks from today we’re making a statement.
Italy will have his first UFC champion soon.
#theitaliandream
As many fans know, styles make fights. Many experts depicted Adesanya vs. Cannonier as an example of precision vs. power and discussed how these styles would create a climactic and lambasting finale. Instead, MMA fans were treated to a highly technical stand-up battle that required a deep understanding of martial arts to truly enjoy.
"On my worst day, I can kill the best man," says Israel Adesanya after acknowledging a sub-par show out.
While speaking to the media in UFC 276's post-fight press conference, Israel Adesayna acknowledged that he had an off night in the cage against Jared Cannonier. The noise does not seem to bother the Nigerian-born superstar, as shown by his post-fight tweet.
👑👑👑
Blah blah blah blah #ANDSTILL 🤫😝 https://t.co/yC1Nz51QQ4
Despite Vettori's call for a fresh champion, it may be a different man who claims the middleweight title. With Alex Pereira looking set for the next title shot, many wonder what the future holds for Vettori. Provided Adesanya overcomes the man they call 'Hands of Stone', will he seek to fight Vettori a third time? For this question to even matter, Vettori would first need to beat Robert Whittaker in September, leaving several questions to ponder.