Israel Adesanya had UFC 332 written off as a glorified Fight Night at first. Then he actually looked at the card, and it seems like he had to walk that one back. The former two-time middleweight champion still thinks something is missing, but it’s not necessarily the fights themselves.

According to ‘The Last Stylebender’, UFC 332’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t have enough star power or those big, easy-to-follow storylines that make casual fans really interested. So, is UFC 332 really as bad as Adesanya initially made it sound? Not quite.

“People are saying it’s the worst card in UFC history… but actually looking at the card, that might not really be the case,” Adesanya explained on his YouTube channel. “The only thing is that it lacks a bit of star power and also universal storylines.

“How you get people involved, people to be invested, the lead-ups, the embeddeds of fight week, the countdown, the fighters doing their own vlogs, the UFC also doing little segments for the fighters leading up to the fight, the months into the fight.”

And to be fair, there’s plenty riding on the event. UFC 332 heads to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the promotion’s fifth trip to the city, following UFC 307 two years ago, where Alex Pereira delivered a memorable fourth-round knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr.

The event will also make history as the UFC’s first card to air on CBS under the promotion’s massive $7.7 billion Paramount-CBS deal. So, it’s no surprise that the expectations were sky high. However, UFC 332 simply failed to have such hyped storylines or stakes behind it.

“So yeah, the stories. There’s no storyline,” he continued. “Because even though you guys want to clown WWE, you love a storyline.”

Israel Adesanya also had a problem with one particular name being buried in the prelims: Court McGee. The former middleweight champion couldn’t believe someone with McGee’s experience was opening the card against Eric Nolan instead of getting a spot on the main card.

“Bro, look, Court McGee as an early prelim,” he said. “This is the Ultimate Fighter winner. He’s a veteran of this game, and he goes, you know, the record.

“He just knows how to, like, put belt to a–, and he just, like, put his foot down, pedal to the metal.”

Still, this is one area where it’s tough to really blame the UFC. McGee may be a 24-fight UFC veteran and a former Ultimate Fighter winner, but the 41-year-old hasn’t exactly been on a hot streak lately.

‘The Crusher’ has gone 1-4 across his last five UFC outings, with his most recent appearance ending in a decision loss to Michael Chiesa. So while Adesanya has a point about McGee’s experience, his recent form makes his prelim placement a little easier to understand.

Adesanya’s previous UFC 332 take came during a hilarious moment on his Precision with Mighty & Izzy podcast with Demetrious Johnson. The two were breaking down the lineup when ‘The Last Stylebender’ casually admitted he had absolutely no idea who was headlining the event.

That was enough to get both fighters laughing. Then ‘Izzy’ realised the card he had been casually roasting wasn’t even a Fight Night; it was a numbered UFC event.

“Oh, it’s not a Fight Night? Oh, really? Oh, snap!” Adesanya said. “I thought it was a Fight Night. I saw the ad on the banner on the thing. I just thought that was a Fight Night. Dang! Okay, okay!”

Still, Adesanya wasn’t exactly saying UFC 332 is a terrible card. If anything, the lineup has a few fights that could turn the event into one of those sneaky sleeper cards fans end up loving.

The co-main event has former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo moving up against Payton Talbott. Figueiredo’s seeks a redemption arc after going 1-4 in his last 5. Talbott, meanwhile, is quickly making a name for himself after scoring wins over Felipe Lima and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo last year.

Then there’s middleweight knockout artist Ateba Gautier, who takes on Roman Kopylov, while King Green returns against another rising name in Esteban Ribovics.

And don’t sleep on the prelims either. Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is finally back after a two-year layoff, taking on Alexander Hernandez in a matchup that has already caught the attention of fight fans.

So yeah, UFC 332 might not have the massive superstar or reigning champion needed to instantly feel like a numbered event. But once the cage door shuts, none of that really matters. The fights still have a chance to do the talking.

Ironically, Israel Adesanya might have more reason than most to keep a close eye on UFC 332, because one of his oldest rivals is right in the middle of it.

Israel Adesanya himself is invested in a massive return storyline at UFC 332

Despite years of bad blood, Israel Adesanya is now surprisingly backing Marvin Vettori. The two fought twice, with ‘Izzy’ winning both encounters, but Vettori never really seemed ready to let the rivalry die. Even after their Octagon battles were over, the Italian continued taking shots at his former opponent.

But with both men going through some rough stretches in their careers, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has seemingly put the old rivalry to one side. He even showed genuine sympathy for Marvin Vettori after the tragic death of the Italian’s younger brother in a house fire last year.

“My boy, Vettori,” Adesanya said. “This is his first fight back since the tragedy? Yeah. Vettori is a hard man to finish. I don’t think anyone has finished him in the UFC yet.

“I think he still hates me. I don’t know why. I mean, it’s obvious… Every other – like twice a year – he’ll take shots at me for no reason. But nah, I respect him.”

Adesanya explained that Vettori’s loss changed the way he looked at their entire rivalry. The Italian’s tragedy made it impossible for him to hold onto the same animosity.

“If I lost [my brother] in a fire, I would be heartbroken,” he continued. “That makes me sad saying that. So I, like, I empathise. So, it’s hard for me to feel anything bad towards this man because I’m like, If I lost [my brother] in a house fire, God forbid.”

Now, ‘The Italian Dream’ is getting ready for his first fight since the tragedy, taking on Ismail Naurdiev at UFC 332. Israel Adesanya is hoping his old rival can find some of the form that once earned him a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

“I want him to win,” he said. “I mean, it’ll be good for him. It’s been a while, spirit. When you win, I win. When I win, you win.

“Whether you like it or not, Vettori, we’re locked in this s— for life. Yeah, man, I’m going for Vettori. I’m pulling for him to win this one.”

So, for all of Israel Adesanya’s complaints about UFC 332 lacking star power and compelling storylines, he now has a pretty personal reason to tune in when the Octagon lands in Salt Lake City.