PHOENIX — A shirtless, chiseled Israel Adesanya held the gold Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight belt above his head as his opponent, Marvin Vettori, sneered and hurled vulgarities at the champion during a news conference.
The two will fight on Saturday night at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., the same site where they brawled in 2018 in a three-round contest with a disputed outcome.
But Vettori ascended too, winning five consecutive fights, all the while claiming he had defeated the champion three years ago.
The other is among flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and the challenger, Brandon Moreno, a repeat of a December 2020 battle that ended in a draw.
veteran, also returns from a nearly two-year absence to fight Leon Edwards, a strong welterweight contender, in a five-round 170-pound bout.
263 is the second recent event the company plans to operate in the United States without any coronavirus-related restrictions, such as masks, social distancing or capacity limits.
“It was always super important because it is so close to Vegas,” White said about hosting an event in Phoenix.
But he weighed in five pounds under the 205-pound limit, and Blachowicz utilized the stark difference by wrestling against Adesanya, winning via unanimous decision.
Adesanya defended well against most of Vettori’s takedown attempts in 2018, and Vettori will most likely try to bring Adesanya to the ground in the rematch.
In December, both men fought in Las Vegas in a five-round battle, a clash so close that judges did not declare a winner.
The fast-paced fight stopped momentarily in the third round when Figueiredo unintentionally kicked Moreno near the groin, which is illegal.
But the most anticipated fight among fans may be Diaz against Edwards.
But he rose to mainstream prominence in 2016, when he fought McGregor on short notice as an injury replacement, submitting the brash Irish star in a chokehold in the second round.
Despite his inactivity, his support among the fans and on social media showed that his standing had not diminished.
Edwards has won eight consecutive fights since 2015, when he lost via decision to Usman.