Question weighs heavily over Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori

The fight between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori has been a reality TV show of epic proportions, with both fighters receiving an unprecedented amount of support from their respective fans. Each fighter’s supporters believe they have the answer to making the fight more interesting-but who will come out on top?

The “ufc last weekend” is a question that weighs heavily over the Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori debate. Costa has been in the UFC for nearly 10 years, while Vettori is only in his second year of fighting in the UFC.

Last weekend, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya uploaded a YouTube video in which he dissected the main event bout between his “children,” Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori, which took place on Saturday.

Costa vs. Vettori seems to be a fantastic main event featuring two of the best middleweights in the UFC. The UFC has Costa and Vettori rated Nos. 2 and 5 respectively. According to ESPN, they are ranked Nos. 3 and 6 respectively.

However, as fantastic as this matchup is, it’s worth mentioning Adesanya’s presence. Both Costa (13-1) and Vettori (17-4-1) are coming off defeats to the champion, and neither of them seemed like they handled it well. A huge mystery is how each of them will seem in their first visit back.

No-title-at-stake-but-Conor-McGregors-fighting-legacy-will

Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori, both coming off disappointing middleweight title attempts, square off to see who will take the first step back toward a rematch with champion Israel Adesanya.

Costa vs. Vettori, UFC Fight Night, Saturday, Oct. 23, UFC Apex, Las Vegas • Main event on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET • Preliminaries on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET

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Costa, 30, claimed in the aftermath of his TKO defeat against Adesanya in September 2020 that he was hungover during the bout because he had consumed a full bottle of wine the night before. Despite being out-landed 55 to 12 in total strikes, he insisted Adesanya accept an instant rematch. Costa has now withdrawn from two upcoming bouts, claiming sickness and contract concerns as reasons. He informed the UFC last week that he would not be able to compete at the 186-pound middleweight limit for a non-title event, and Vettori agreed to reschedule the fight, first to a 195-pound catchweight, then to the 205-pound light heavyweight limit.

Vettori, 28, was defeated by Adesanya in a unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June. Vettori believed he had done enough to win the fight at the end of the five rounds, despite the fact that practically every observer saw him fall short. Adesanya won the title battle by a unanimous decision of 50-45.

What does each scenario imply in terms of going forward? Most likely, none of them matters much. At 185 pounds, no one doubts Costa or Vettori’s status.

Their unique responses to those defeats, on the other hand, are part of the story leading up to the major event. Adesanya will likely be considered as having a mental edge over Costa and Vettori as long as he is the objective at middleweight — he is set to defend his championship against Robert Whittaker in the first quarter of 2022.

The winner of Saturday’s high-profile, fan-friendly fight, on the other hand, may be able to suppress that narrative a little, given this clash is widely regarded as two of the greatest facing off.

The main card begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with prelims beginning at 1 p.m. ET.


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Finally, the winner is…

“Israel Adesanya has had positive interactions with both of them. Vettori was defeated twice by him “UFC welterweight and Glory MMA coach James Krause claimed. “Costa, he added, would defeat Vettori. I’m not sure whether there were any feelings involved, but he believed Costa would put an end to the takedowns. Who knows these two better than you? So, on this one, I’m going to tag along with Izzy.”

Take a look at how Krause and other experts analyze the main event and determine the winner.


The fight card for Saturday

4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori (light heavyweight) Grant Dawson vs. Ricky Glenn (lightweight) Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards, women’s bantamweight Alex Caceres vs. Seungwoo Choi, men’s featherweight Dwight Grant vs. Francisco Trinaldo at welterweight Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva (light heavyweight) 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Junyong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight) Alan Patrick vs. Mason Jones (lightweight) Tabatha Ricci vs. Maria Oliveira at strawweight Jamie Pickett vs. Laureano Staropoli (middleweight) Khama Worthy vs. Jai Herbert (lightweight) Jeff Molina vs. Daniel Lacerda, men’s flyweight Livinha Souza vs. Randa Markos in strawweight Aaron Phillips vs. Jonathan Martinez, men’s bantamweight


The best option is to….

Paulo Costa (+125) vs. Marvin Vettori (-150)

2 Related

Costa returns to the cage after a year off since his TKO defeat to Israel Adesanya, eager to show the world that he still belongs at the top of the division. Costa will have to accomplish something that no other opponent has been able to do against Vettori: knock him out in order to win. Costa is very powerful and has the ability to finish the battle at any time. But I don’t think the conflict will go that way. Vettori has never been done, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

Vettori is expected to take the lead and set the pace. Costa prefers to slow down and throw just one punch at a time, thus Vettori’s cardio and output will be his major advantages. Vettori will also have an advantage in wrestling, which he may use if he wishes to lay Costa on his back and take away all of his strength. I don’t think Costa will be able to stay up with Vettori throughout the course of five rounds.

Vettori is a -150 favorite.

Ian Parker’s quote

Go here for more of Parker’s top bets on this bout card.


What is the best way to watch the fights?

On ESPN+, you can watch all of the bouts. Install the ESPN App on your device.

If you don’t have ESPN+, you’re out of luck. It’s available for purchase here.

There’s also FightCenter, which provides real-time coverage of every UFC event.


There are four additional items to consider (from ESPN Stats & Information)

1. When Grant Dawson fights lightweight Ricky Glenn in the co-main event, he’ll be looking to keep his UFC winning streak alive. Since his debut in 2019, Dawson, a Season 1 graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, has gone 5-0.

NBA-experts-debate-Finals-predictions-and-best-play-in-matchups

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2. Francisco Trinaldo, who battles welterweight Dwight Grant, has 16 wins in the UFC since his debut in 2012, which is tied for sixth most among all fighters. Grant has won in three of his past four matches.

3. Both Alex Caceres and Seungwoo Choi enter their featherweight match on winning streaks. Caceres has won four consecutive bouts, while Choi has won three in a row.

4. In April, Jeff Molina had an explosive UFC debut, defeating Aori Qileng by decision after landing 189 major blows, the most in a flyweight bout in UFC history and the most by a fighter making his UFC debut in any weight class. On the prelims, Molina will play Daniel Lacerda.

Jeff Wagenheim of ESPN contributed to this bout preview as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Paulo Costa weigh?

A: Paulo Costa weighed 143 lbs (65 kg).

How heavy is Vettori?

A: Vettori is a lightweight bowler. His weight has been described as about 70 kg (154 lbs).

How tall is Marvin Vettori?

A: Marvin Vettori is six feet and two inches tall.

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