Israel Adesanya remains the king of the middleweight division in the UFC. The Nigerian MMA champion won by unanimous decision in his fight against Italy’s Marvin Vettori at a world championship event in Glendale, Arizona.
African domination in the MMA world
“I’m just slowly starting to realize my performance,” the champion explained after the fight. “Of course, I would have liked to have been able to hit him more in the face, but you have to recognize the progress he has made with his coach. He’s made a lot of progress even if it still wasn’t enough to take the belt tonight.”
Adesanya’s success proves the African domination on the MMA with the world belt obtained in the heavyweight by the Cameroonian Francis Ngannou last March and the domination of another Nigerian Kamaru Usman in the Welterweight.
“It’s true that we are at the top right now, three kings, and it’s wonderful to experience, it’s so strong. It allows me to ride that wave. I want Africans to feel that. For all the people in Nigeria who are feeling down, to want to attack their week like I attacked my fight against Vettori.”
Israel Adesanya, 31, has dominated the middleweight division since 2019. In 22 fights, the Lagos native has been beaten only once, last March, in the world light heavyweight title bout against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz.
