UFC 263: Adesanya and Moreno Win, Edwards Luckily Escapes Death vs. Diaz

The UFC 263 saw a lot of action, with Israel Adesanya, Brandon Moreno, and Leon Edwards posting respective wins. However, Saturday’s event was so much more, with the main three fights bringing a memorable experience.

In the central event of the night, the UFC middleweight title bout, Adesanya defeated the challenger Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision win, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45. Unlike their first match from 2018, Adesanya didn’t have any trouble beating the Italian fighter, and he pretty much routinely defended the throne.

The champion was using his legs to keep the distance between him and the opponent and kick-boxing to collect points. In the moments when Vettori made takedowns, he managed either to get back to his feet quickly or to neutralize the Italian’s grappling.

Adesanya just copped a feel on Vettori's ass #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/HVLrJ7CORn

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) June 13, 2021

Adesanya didn’t make a single mistake during the entire clash, which eventually provided him a convincing lead among the judges.

With 10 straight wins in the division, the New Zealand fighter is second on the all-time list behind the legendary Anderson Silva. Adesanya wants Robert Whittaker, the guy against whom he won the middleweight title for his next opponent.

According to his words, this one should take place in Auckland, the capital of New Zealand.

UFC flyweight division got a new champion, with Brandon Moreno delivering an upset and beating a heavily-favored Deiveson Figueiredo. The Mexican would submit the former champion via rear-naked choke, in the third round, at 2:26 of the same.

This made him the first fighter born in Mexico to win the UFC title.

After a first match that saw a majority draw, many believed that Figueiredo wouldn’t take this match for granted, expecting the Brazilian to finish the contest quickly. However, as the fight went by, we’ve witnessed Moreno’s growth and him taking over the control of the bout. In the end, he would lure Figueiredo into one of his traps and use the chance to deliver arguably the biggest upset of the year in the UFC.

“He’s been winning so amazing,” the 27-year old Moreno said. “Holding this belt, I feel so amazing, brother.”

Leon Edward beat Nick Diaz in the most entertaining fight of the night, escaping what looked like a certain defeat in the last moments of the event. The Brit won via unanimous decision, 49-46, 49-46, 49-46, but he had luck in the end.

NATE DIAZ ALMOST PULLED THE UPSET IN THE FINAL ROUND 😳 #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/n6oUBiO9ro

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 13, 2021

Following three rounds in which Edwards dominated, Diaz began pumping up in the last two, reaching the peak in the late stage of the final sequence. One fantastic one-two combo obliterated Edwards. Instead of going for the finish, Diaz wanted to mock his rival, as he usually does, losing precious seconds to close the match.

However, his street style earned him the sympathy of all the fans tonight, as he once again put on a memorable show. Edwards was visibly shaken and disturbed, and had a massive amount of luck.

“Nate’s a veteran, you know? I hit him with everything but the kitchen sink,” Edwards said. “So fair play to Nate. He’s a soldier. He gained my respect today.”

Edwards was a massive favorite coming into this fight, which was supposed to be his last one before a title shot against Kamaru Usman, Yet, this finish could compromise his plan to challenge Usman this year.