Marvin Vettori plans to slap 'double-face liar' Israel Adesanya next time they cross paths

Marvin Vettori is unhappy with a lot of people following his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC on FOX 29 this past weekend.

Vettori (12-4-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) believes the split-decision result in the middleweight fight with Adesanya (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) should have gone his way. He said he’s disappointed in how the judges scored the fight, but they weren’t the only ones who have drawn the ire of the Italian.

He’s also not pleased with how UFC commentators Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz called the three-round bout. However, it doesn’t compare to the disdain he has for Adesanya. Before he gets to that, though, let him first explain why he felt he won Saturday’s 185-pound contest, which aired on FS1 from Gila Rivera Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

“I kind of shut down his whole rhythm, his fight rhythm,” Vettori told MMAjunkie. “He couldn’t do anything he was supposed to do against me. He couldn’t do any of what he wanted to do. I put him against the cage. I controlled him there. I’ve watched the first round three or four times now. I really think I got the first round. I see that pretty clearly. Then second was close, so I see it going his way. Then my corner told me we need the third. From the beginning I put good pressure on him, took him down and secured the round.”

Vettori’s, 24, argument isn’t entirely flawed. The third round was the most clear-cut in his favor, but the second was even clearer for Adesanya. It all comes down to the highly competitive opening frame, and Vettori is convinced he did the superior work.

Although he’s not trying to paint a picture of conspiracy, Vettori said he went into UFC on FOX 29 at a disadvantage before ever stepping into the octagon. Unbeaten Adesanya has garnered a lot of attention as a can’t miss prospect, and Vettori said that translated into a bias from both the judges and the commentary team, who he felt didn’t show enough respect to his efforts.

“Honestly I think the judges and a lot of people, they’ve been fooled by all the hype and the media he has around,” Vettori said. “They kind of built this image, and people are influenced by that. Even the commenters and stuff were all on his side in the first round. It’s crazy how I was pushing the pace and landing and stuff and they were saying – they weren’t talking about me landing. They were saying, ‘Oh, he’s trying to make it go longer so he can counter and stuff.’ (Cormier) said that. It’s so crazy. I think that was silly. It didn’t make any sense. They were all fooled. They were thinking about pushing him and making him look good. Meanwhile I was landing, and they didn’t give a (expletive) about me landing.”

All four of Vettori’s career losses have come by decision, so he knows the consequences that can come with leaving a fight to the scorecards. However, what made this one so difficult to digest, he said, is how Adesanya allegedly acted moments after their fight had reached its conclusion.

According to Vettori, “Stylebender” conceded defeat inside the octagon before the decision was read. But when the decision went his way, his tone apparently shifted drastically.

“After the fight, he knew he lost; he really knew he lost,” Vettori said. “He came up and told me, ‘We’ll do it again. Don’t worry. We’re going to meet again.’ He was looking all kind of like beaten. His mind was beaten. Then he went up to my coaches and is like, ‘Ah yeah, maybe I will come to train.’ He was humbled a lot by my performance against him. Then right after he goes out and talks (expletive) on media. That’s what pissed me off, because he’s like a double-faced piece of crap. That’s what he is. So my performance, I was solid. I definitely think that I won the fight. But the judges didn’t see it that way.”

Vettori and Adesanya exchanged plenty of barbs prior to their encounter. Sharing the cage for 15 minutes is typically a good way to vent out all frustrations and put any negative feelings in the past, but that’s not the case from Vettori’s perspective.

Vettori’s resentment has only grown in the fallout of UFC on FOX 29. The decision paired with Adesanya’s public dismissal of there being any chance he lost does not sit well with Vettori. He said he plans to act on those emotions the next time he crosses paths with his rival.

“I just don’t like his attitude,” Vettori said. “He kept talking (expletive) about the spaghetti bull(expletive). He knows I can’t do any of this thing because he knows I’ll be pointed as racist because he’s black, but he can do that toward me because I’m white, and I don’t like that, at all. I think UFC should do something to stop this because it’s not fair. I’m not joking.

“Next time I see him – I better not see him because I’m going to after him. I don’t care who is in front of me. I’m going to slap him real hard. I don’t care. Whatever I say I’m down to back it up. I’m not a little (expletive). I don’t talk to be funny like he does. Next time I see him, it’s better that I don’t see him because it’s not going to be good for him. I don’t like the fact that he’s a double-face liar. At first he said something and he was all beat up, and then right after he goes out and talks (expletive).”

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 29, check out the UFC Events section of the site.