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UFC 263: Pre-fight Press Conference Highlights

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The UFC returns to a full-capacity Arizona crowd for a landmark UFC 263 card.

The UFC 263 pre-fight press conference at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, set the stage for the promotion’s first event with a full-capacity crowd in over two years. The June 10 event featured the headliners for the June 12 card, highlighted by a middleweight title rematch and the historic debut of a five-round non-title bout.

• Nate Diaz returned to the spotlight for the first time since 2019, openly smoking his proprietary ‘Kill_4209’ marijuana strain while addressing media following a recent shift in anti-doping policy.
• Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori engaged in a heated exchange over the legitimacy of their 2018 split-decision result, with the champion dismissing Vettori’s claims of a moral victory.
• The card features a unique milestone: the matchup between Nate Diaz and Leon Edwards marks the first five-round, non-title, non-main event bout in the history of the promotion.

The Middleweight Title Rivalry

Tensions between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori remained the most volatile point of the press conference. Vettori continued to contest the outcome of their 2018 encounter, asserting that he deserved the win despite the judges’ split-decision ruling. Adesanya remained dismissive of the challenger’s perspective, characterizing Vettori’s belief as a fabrication of his own reality.

I intended to ‘f**k this dude up.’

The champion, looking to bounce back from his recent venture into the light heavyweight division, expressed his intent to replicate his performance from UFC 248. He maintained that Vettori is “telling himself a story” regarding the previous fight, while Vettori remained steadfast in his conviction that he is the rightful challenger to the throne.

Policy Shifts and Nate Diaz

UFC VP of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky confirmed a major regulatory update during the lead-up to the event. The Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission has officially adopted the UFC’s updated anti-doping stance, which eliminates penalties for marijuana consumption unless a fighter is found to be impaired on the night of the bout. Diaz, who utilized the platform to smoke on stage, remains a central figure in the conversation surrounding the changing landscape of athlete health regulations.

Flyweight Title Stakes

The flyweight championship rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno provided a professional counterpoint to the more volatile middleweight exchanges. The two fighters are looking for a definitive conclusion after their majority draw in December 2020. Both athletes used the final public face-off to emphasize their preparation for a fight that carries significant weight in the 125-pound division.

Figueiredo and Moreno prepare for Saturday night at Gila River Arena, where they finally aim to break their deadlock and leave no doubt about who sits atop the flyweight rankings.