‘It won’t even be competitive’: Fight fans react as Italy’s Vettori handed UFC title shot against dominant champ Adesanya

UFC fans have reacted with bemusement as Marvin Vettori - and not Robert Whittaker - was handed a rematch against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya three years after losing to 'The Last Stylebender'.

News of the upcoming middleweight title fight was confirmed by UFC boss Dana White, with the fight scheduled to top the UFC 263 card on June 12 in a fight which will be a rematch of their first meeting in April 2018. On that occasion, Adesanya was awarded the win via a split decision on the judges' scorecards.

Since then, Vettori has remained unbeaten and has wracked off victories against the likes of Cezar Ferreira, Jack Hermansson and, most recently, Kevin Holland to announce his candidacy as a title threat in the UFC's 185lbs fold. 

Vettori had been slated to fight England's Darren Till earlier this month in a fight widely expected to reveal the identity of Adesanya's next opponent before the Englishman was forced to withdraw after suffering a broken collarbone in preparation.

Another of Adesanya's former foes, ex-champ Robert Whittaker, was also thought to have been in line after his five-round shellacking of Kelvin Gastelum last weekend, but it is Vettori and not the Australian banger who has been lined up to throw down with Adesanya - who will fight for the first time since his unsuccessful bid to capture the organization's light heavyweight title from Jan Blachowicz. 

And while Vettori will likely present a capable threat to the UFC's middleweight standard-bearer, more than a few fans aren't exactly of the opinion that White and the UFC have posed Adesanya as potent a challenge as he might have had.

"It won't even be competitive," suggested one fan. "Izzy smashes him."

Others, though, were concerned as to why Whittaker - who has defeated Till, Jared Cannonier and Gastelum in his three most recent fights - wasn't booked for his own rematch with Adesanya, whom he lost his middleweight title to in 2019.

"Bobby Knuckles disrespected again," wrote one online, while another added that the "disrespect to Whittaker is unbelievable".

However, the one man who might not be too concerned about the development is Whittaker himself.

"I've got to go home and look at my injuries," said Whittaker after his win against Gastelum in Las Vegas last week when asked if he would be interested in a June fight with Adesanya.

"Going into this fight I wasn't 100 percent. I don't think any fighter is, but I have to take care of my hands - and especially my shin, things like that. My legs, they're a little beat up."

So when Whittaker does make his return to action, presumably later this year, he will be as healthy as is possible in his bid to reclaim the world title he held for more than two years.