Stephen Thompson, Anthony Smith, Cory Sandhagen predict Israel Adesanya vs Marvin Vettori at UFC 263

Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori will clash in the main event of the UFC 263 pay-per-view this weekend. Ahead of the blockbuster clash, fighters predict the outcome of the fight. Stars like Anthony Smith, Cory Sandhagen, Stephen Thompson, and more shared their take on how the fights will play out.

The fight between ‘Stylebender’ and ‘The Italian Dream’ will be a rematch between the duo. They have previously fought in 2018 with Adesanya claiming a split decision win over Vettori. However, almost every fighter agreed that it would be a mistake to judge the outcome of this term based on that fight as both fighters have made massive improvements in their game.

Former light-heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith believes the fight will be a close this time too. But he picked the champion to be triumphant this time too. ‘Lionheart‘ added that Adesanya will be motivated from his last fight, where he dropped a decision against Jan Blachowicz.

‘Sandman‘ picked the champion too to come out victorious. Middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan believes the fight is too close to pick a winner.

Former Welterweight title challenger, Stephen ‘Wonderboy‘ Thompson, picked Izzy to be the winner of the contest as well. Women’s flyweight contender, Lauren Murphy, went on to pick Vettori to get the better of the champion. Montana De La Rosa also picked ‘The Italian Dream’ to get a decision in his favor.

Light-heavyweight sensation, Jiri Prochazka picked Izzy to reign supreme. So did heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik. High-flying bantamweight, Rob Font also picked Izzy to win.

There were some picks in favor of Vettori, but most of the fighters favored Adesanya to keep hold of his title for now.

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Israel Adesanya vs Marvin Vettori 2: What to expect?

The duo may have gone to a split decision in their previous contest, but the decision of that fight is arguable. Many believe it should have been Adesanya getting a unanimous decision in his favor. But, they both have truly evolved since then. So, it’s tough to judge this contest based on that fight.

Also, one can expect to see a fiery version of Adesanya back in action again after his loss to Blachowicz at UFC 259. Nevertheless, fans can expect a banger when the two top middleweights collide.

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