LOS ANGELES – Marvin Vettori may have given new UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya his toughest test to date.

The two fought in April 2018, in what was only Adesanya’s second UFC bout. The two battled in a tightly contested back and forth fight, which resulted in a split decision win for “The Last Style Bender.”

Vettori (13-3-1 MMA, 3-2-1 UFC) believes he’s a completely different fighter now. Since the loss to Adesanya, he’s only fought once due to a USADA suspension, but put on arguably his best performance in his last outing, when he defeated Cezar Ferreira in July.

“I improved a lot,” Vettori said during Tuesday’s Dominance MMA media day. “And the problem that I gave him a year and a half ago, and comparing to what I was a year and a half ago, I think in the next time that I’ll meet him, won’t be no doubt.”

Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) on the other hand, had a meteoric rise since defeating Vettori, picking up five straight wins, and capturing the middleweight title with a remarkable performance over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.

But Vettori truly believes his fight with Adesanya was a turning point which proved that he can compete with the division’s elite.

“I knew from before, I mean I think I know him pretty well,” Vettori said. “I meet him in the cage means more than actually hearing whatever he says and whatever he does, and not just the fight, right after the fight, I feel I see his true colors and yeah my fight with him, what’s crazy is that it was almost a year and a half ago, and the last year and a half, I’ve improved so much, it’s unbelievable. I’m sure he’s improved too but I really feel like I found a stepping stone in my career.”

However, Vettori is focused on the task at hand. He takes on Andrew Sanchez this Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in Tampa, but can’t wait to cross paths with Adesanya again.

“But I mean it’s past and I’m looking to the present now,” Vettori said. “I have a fight in less than a week, so I’m just going to keep doing my thing and I know deep inside I can be the world champ, so I just have to keep going on this path and time will show. I’m not really focused on this but I knew before that I can have an impact on this division for sure and from the first day that I’m here, for this, but he did good. He’s the champ right now, and I can’t wait to meet him again.”

To hear more from Vettori, click on the video linked above.