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UFC champion Israel Adesanya recently named middleweight rival Marvin Vettori as the biggest pretender in the promotion.
Adesanya has a notable history with 'The Italian Dream' inside the octagon. Although he respects Vettori's toughness and grit as a competitor, 'The Last Stylebender' believes that the #3-ranked contender is somewhat fake.
In a recent episode of Gloves Off with Kayo Sports, the UFC middleweight champion stated:
"I wanna say Marvin Vettori. He is a tough guy, a tough fighter. But, it's a lot of fugazi the guy brings in. I'd say he is the biggest pretender I have faced in the UFC. But there is a few more. Not just fighters that I can call out."
Watch Israel Adesanya name the biggest pretender in the UFC:
Adesanya and Vettori first fought inside the octagon in 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Gaethje. 'The Last Stylebender' won a relatively close split decision on that occasion.
They rematched at UFC 263 last year with Adesanya's middleweight title on the line. The champion won a lopsided decision this time, moving to 2-0 up in his feud with the Italian.
Adesanya is set to return this weekend at UFC 276 as he looks to successfully defend his title for the fifth time against Jared Cannonier.
Vettori, meanwhile, is coming off a win against Paulo Costa and is set to take on Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris in September.
"I enjoy his tweets" - Israel Adesanya calls Paulo Costa the biggest "s**t talker" in the UFC
Israel Adesanya recently named Paulo Costa as the biggest "sh*t talker" in the UFC due to the Brazilian's antics on Twitter.
ike Vettori, 'Borrachinha' is a former opponent of Adesanya. While naming the best trash talker in the promotion, 'The Last Stylebender' said of the Brazilian:
"Paulo Costa. I enjoy his tweets. He's a funny guy on Twitter. I like his tweets. The big sh*t talker."
Adesanya and Costa met inside the octagon at UFC 253. The 32-year-old dismantled 'The Eraser' in two rounds to mark his second successful title defense.
Costa is set to return to the octagon against former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. With a win, 'Borrachinha' can re-enter the title conversation and stake his claim for a second championship opportunity..
