UFC 263 Results: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2

UFC 263 brought two championship rematches to Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on June 12, 2021. Israel Adesanya defended the middleweight title against Marvin Vettori, and Brandon Moreno challenged Deiveson Figueiredo again for the flyweight championship. Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz also contested a five-round non-title bout.

Adesanya makes the rematch decisive

Adesanya had won a split decision over Vettori in their first meeting. In the championship rematch, he used distance, kicks and defensive reactions to frustrate the challenger’s pressure. Vettori pursued takedowns and control, but could not sustain enough offense to take the belt.

All three judges scored the fight 50–45 for Adesanya. The unanimous decision preserved the middleweight championship and provided a clearer outcome than their original contest.

Moreno wins the flyweight championship

Figueiredo and Moreno had drawn at UFC 256. This time, Moreno established his offense early and eventually took the champion’s back. A rear-naked choke forced the submission at 2:26 of round three.

Moreno became the first Mexican-born UFC champion. The finish transformed a rivalry that had begun with an unresolved title fight into a decisive championship change, and supplied the most significant result of the co-main event.

Edwards survives late danger; Craig wins by TKO

Edwards controlled much of his fight with Diaz, but Diaz hurt him late in the fifth round. Edwards survived to win a unanimous decision. Belal Muhammad also earned a decision over Demian Maia.

Paul Craig defeated Jamahal Hill by TKO after an armbar dislocated Hill’s arm and Craig followed with strikes. The official outcome was a striking stoppage, not a submission. The preliminaries included Brad Riddell’s decision over Drew Dober and Terrance McKinney’s seven-second knockout of Matt Frevola. Seven further decision results complete the 14-fight event, ensuring the early card receives its place in the historical record.

Complete UFC 263 results

• Israel Adesanya def. Marvin Vettori — unanimous decision, R5, 5:00; retained middleweight title.
• Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo — submission (rear-naked choke), R3, 2:26; won flyweight title.
• Leon Edwards def. Nate Diaz — unanimous decision, R5, 5:00.
• Belal Muhammad def. Demian Maia — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Paul Craig def. Jamahal Hill — TKO (elbows and punches), R1, 1:59.
• Brad Riddell def. Drew Dober — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Eryk Anders def. Darren Stewart — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood — split decision, R3, 5:00.
• Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Pannie Kianzad def. Alexis Davis — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Terrance McKinney def. Matt Frevola — KO (punches), R1, 0:07.
• Steven Peterson def. Chase Hooper — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Fares Ziam def. Luigi Vendramini — majority decision, R3, 5:00.
• Carlos Felipe def. Jake Collier — split decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC 263 official results; Sherdog: UFC 263 complete event record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 263, Mixed Martial Arts