Israel Adesanya to Face Marvin Vettori at UFC Glendale

Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori UFC Glendale
Credit: UFC

‘The Last Stylebender’ will return to the UFC Octagon in Glendale, AZ, where he’ll look to follow up on his impressive debut.

Israel Adesanya made quite the impression in his UFC debut earlier this month. A decorated kickboxer, Adesanya improved his MMA record to 12-0 when he defeated Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia. The one-sided drubbing earned Adesanya a Performance of the Night award. Now, the UFC has announced his next opponent: Marvin Vettori. The pair will meet at UFC Glendale this April.

The undefeated Adesanya, a former AFC middleweight champion, turned Wilkinson into minced meat in his UFC debut. It marked one of the bigger coming out parties in the UFC of late, with the Glory Kickboxing tournament winner proving as skilled on the mic as in the cage. In a middleweight division in need of new blood, Adesanya was a welcome addition.

Italy’s Marvin Vettori (12–3–1), meanwhile, is coming off a draw in his most recent trip to the octagon. That was at UFC 219 in December, opposite Omari Akhmedov. Overall, Vettori is 2-1-1 in the promotion. A former Venator FC welterweight champion, Vettori trains with the famed Jackson-Wink team when stateside.

UFC Glendale, otherwise known as UFC on FOX 29, takes place April 14 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ. The main event features lightweight action between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.