Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori trade barbs, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno get physical, and Nate Diaz is cool as a breeze opposite Leon Edwards at the UFC 263 pre-fight press conference face-offs.
Tensions flare between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori, Deiveson Figueiredo gets physical with Brandon Moreno, and Nate Diaz was cool as a breeze at the UFC 263 press conference face-offs.
The six top-billers from UFC 263 — which takes place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. on Saturday, June 12 — went toe-to-toe on the mic and face-to-face at Thursday’s pre-fight presser.
Adesanya appeared to agitate Vettori from start to finish. At one point towards the end of the presser, Vettori had to be restrained by UFC staff. He even threw his sunglasses off the table.
I N T E N S E #UFC263o pic.twitter.com/3gMlTrT8Tf
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2021
Shockingly, the headliners were a little more reserved during their face-off.
Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori are ready to go right now!
Not long until Saturday night.#UFC263 | Saturday | BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/V5GRx9HKYG
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 11, 2021
Jeremy Stephens and Ion Cutelaba have gotten physical at recent staredowns, but apparently, Figueiredo didn’t get the memo that pushing was a no-no. During what appeared to be a rather calm face-off, the Flyweight champ gave Moreno a firm shove. To the challenger’s credit, Moreno was totally unphased by the physical contact.
WATCH: Deiveson Figueiredo shoves Brandon Moreno at #UFC263 press conference pic.twitter.com/VDW5yebTKc
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) June 11, 2021
Leon Edwards had competitive words for Diaz during the press conference, but their face-off was rather pedestrian.
5?? rounds. Non-title fight.
Who YOU got?
[ @Leon_EdwardsMMA | @NateDiaz209 | #UFC263 ] pic.twitter.com/jXg0J178ke
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2021
UFC 263 will stream live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV). The fan-filled event is headlined by a rematch pitting UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya opposite Marvin Vettori. Also on the card is a Flyweight title rematch between division champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and No. 1-seeded challenger, Brandon Moreno.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.