UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- May 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 15
Introduction
UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 took place on Saturday, June 12, 2021 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. It was Israel Adesanya's return to middleweight after his UFC 259 loss, the night Brandon Moreno made history as the first Mexican-born UFC champion, and one of the most loaded UFC cards of 2021 — two title fights, a Nate Diaz return, and a dramatic submission by Paul Craig. The card produced an estimated 600,000 pay-per-view buys.
Adesanya bounced back from the first MMA loss of his career with a five-round masterclass against Marvin Vettori — his third successful middleweight title defense, won 50-45 across all three scorecards. The co-main produced one of the most emotional moments of the year: Brandon Moreno submitted Deiveson Figueiredo via third-round rear-naked choke to become the first Mexican-born UFC champion.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, June 12, 2021
📍 Venue: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA
👥 Attendance: 16,116 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $2.4 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~600,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Marvin Vettori — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Adesanya def. Vettori via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
🥇 Co-Main: Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo (c) via Submission (rear-naked choke) — R3, 2:18 — Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Israel Adesanya arrived at UFC 263 with three months to process his first MMA loss. The two-division-title pursuit at UFC 259 had ended in a UD loss to Jan Blachowicz; he had announced almost immediately that he would return to middleweight. The first defense back at 185 lbs was Marvin Vettori, the Italian middleweight contender who had pushed Adesanya to a competitive split decision in 2018 and had publicly demanded the rematch.
The co-main was the rematch from UFC 256 — the second meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno after their December 2020 majority draw. Moreno entered as the +180 underdog.
Main Event: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2
Adesanya fought a clean five-round shutout. He used range management, leg kicks, and counter striking from the second round onward. Vettori pressed forward throughout, scored a takedown in round one, and landed combinations against the cage in round three. None of it was enough.
Final scorecards: 50-45, 50-45, 50-45 — a clean five-round shutout. Adesanya landed 161 significant strikes to Vettori's 64. It was his third successful UFC middleweight title defense and the answer his camp had wanted to the question of whether the UFC 259 loss had derailed his championship trajectory. It had not.
Co-Main Event: Figueiredo vs. Moreno 2
The rematch six months after their draw was the most lopsided result of the four-fight Figueiredo-Moreno rivalry. Moreno fought through the first two rounds, took the champion's back at the 3:30 mark of round three, and locked in the rear-naked choke at 2:18. Figueiredo tapped immediately.
Brandon Moreno was the UFC flyweight champion. He was the first Mexican-born UFC champion in promotion history. Moreno, born and raised in Tijuana, dedicated the win to his country: "For Mexico. For everyone who said it couldn't be done."
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Israel Adesanya (c) def. Marvin Vettori — Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) — Middleweight Title
Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo (c) — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R3, 2:18 — Flyweight Title
Leon Edwards def. Nate Diaz — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-44) — Welterweight (5 rounds, non-title)
Belal Muhammad def. Demian Maia — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Welterweight
Paul Craig def. Jamahal Hill — Submission (triangle choke / arm injury) — R1, 4:55 — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Darren Stewart def. Eryk Anders — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Middleweight
Drew Dober def. Brad Riddell — KO (punches) — R3, 4:58 — Lightweight
Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) — Women's Flyweight
Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Featherweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Brandon Moreno — $50,000 for the third-round rear-naked choke submission of Deiveson Figueiredo to claim the flyweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Paul Craig — $50,000 for the first-round triangle submission of Jamahal Hill.
🥇 Fight of the Night: Drew Dober vs. Brad Riddell — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
• First Mexican-born UFC champion in promotion history — Brandon Moreno (Tijuana, Mexico).
• First five-round non-title fight in UFC history — Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz.
• Adesanya's third successful UFC Middleweight Championship defense.
• Paul Craig's triangle submission of Jamahal Hill ended with Hill's arm visibly snapping — one of the most graphic submissions in modern UFC history.
• Adesanya landed 161 significant strikes to Vettori's 64 — a 2.5x differential confirming the cleanest five-round performance of his title reign.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 263 is remembered as the night Adesanya proved the UFC 259 loss had not derailed him, and the night Mexico got its first UFC champion.
For Adesanya, the win was the start of three more successful middleweight title defenses (Whittaker, Cannonier, and a second Vettori). He would lose the title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022 before reclaiming it at UFC 287 in April 2023.
For Brandon Moreno, the title win was the start of a four-year championship arc. He would defend the title once before losing to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 270 in January 2022, win it back at UFC 283 (January 2023), then lose to Brandon Royval at UFC 296 in December 2023.
For Leon Edwards, the Diaz win was the start of his run to the welterweight title. He would head-kick Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022 to win the welterweight title in one of the most dramatic championship results of the era.
FAQ
How did Adesanya rebound from his UFC 259 loss?
Adesanya returned to middleweight three months after losing to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 and defended against Marvin Vettori with a clean 50-45 shutout across all three judges.
Was Brandon Moreno really the first Mexican-born UFC champion?
Yes. Moreno was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and his title win at UFC 263 was the first UFC championship won by a Mexican-born fighter. Previous champions like Cain Velasquez were American-born of Mexican descent. The distinction was meaningful to Mexican MMA fans.
Why was Edwards vs. Diaz five rounds?
It was the UFC's first five-round non-title fight in promotion history. The UFC framed it as a way to give Nate Diaz — a major draw — and Leon Edwards — a top contender — enough time to produce a definitive result. Edwards won by decision but Diaz dropped him with a left hand in the final 30 seconds of round five, producing one of the most memorable moments of the year.
Did Figueiredo and Moreno fight again?
Twice more. They fought a total of four bouts: the draw at UFC 256 (December 2020), Moreno's title win at UFC 263, Figueiredo's reclaiming at UFC 270 (January 2022, UD), and Moreno's final TKO win at UFC 283 (January 2023). Final ledger: 2-1-1 Moreno.
What happened with Paul Craig and Jamahal Hill?
Craig locked in a triangle choke from his guard at 4:55 of round one. Hill tried to power out; Craig secured an arm-triangle position and bent Hill's right arm in a way that produced a visible snap of the humerus. Hill could not continue. He went on to win the light-heavyweight title at UFC 283 in January 2023.
How does UFC 263 compare to UFC 262?
UFC 263 drew approximately 600,000 PPV buys versus UFC 262 (500,000) four weeks earlier. The 100,000-buy jump reflected the Nate Diaz main card appearance and the marquee value of an Adesanya title-defense rematch.
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