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New Zealand Mixed Martial Arts Israel Adesanya has retained his UFC world title in a dominant fashion.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Adesanya has achieved a second round TKO victory over Brazilian Paulo Costa in Abu Dhabi.
One of four Auckland City Kickboxing Gym fighters featured on the UFC 253 card, reigning athlete Halberg of the year brought his professional record to a perfect 20-0 with the win.
With Costa also holding an undefeated record (13-0) in the fight, many had predicted a close and competitive fight.
But the 31-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi made it look easy, gradually asserting his dominance in the first round when they landed numerous hard kicks, causing significant damage to the Brazilian’s front leg.
At the end of the round, Adesanya also began to find her range with her punches and in the early stages of the second it became apparent that Costa was starting to struggle.
Eventually the New Zealander’s skills became too much, a right hand to the temple brought down contender number 2 before the referee intervened to stop the fight.
Meanwhile, the rise of Adesanya’s teammate Brad Riddell in the UFC lightweight division has continued.
Riddell has come from behind for a unanimous decision win over Alex Da Silva in Abu Dhabi.
The 28-year-old Cantabrian was beaten in the first round by his Brazilian rival, but changed course in the second, before finishing strong.
Riddell took the fight 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards to go 3-0 in the UFC and 9-1 overall as a professional.
Brad Riddell, UFC New Zealand lightweight.
Photo: Photosport
However, things have not gone as planned for Riddell’s teammates Kai Kara-France and Shane Young.
In seventh place in the flyweight division, Kara-France has suffered a submission loss in the second round to No. 9 ranked Brandon Royval.
The Kiwi had a great moment in the first round, landing a right hook flush with the chin of their American opponent.
But when Kara-France swooped in to finish, Royval landed a big shot of his own, and from there his sharp ground game came to the fore.
Having attempted a triangle choke at the end of the first round, Royval finally achieved the finish in that exact way in the second round.
Kara-France’s record fell to 4-2 in the UFC and 21-9 overall.
Competing in the featherweight division, Young was knocked out in the first round by Ludovit Klein.
The Slovak, who made his UFC debut after a seven-game winning streak, stunned the Kiwi with a kick to the head before knocking him down and quickly ending the fight with a series of heavy blows.
Young returned to action for the first time in more than 18 months, after recovering from a serious injury that threatened to end his career.
He fell to 2-2 in the UFC and 13-6 overall as a professional.
