UFC 253: Israel Adesanya retains middleweight title with TKO win over Paulo Costa

Israel Adesanya is a man of his word.

Despite his UFC 253 title defense against Paulo Costa being billed as a fight of the year contender and one of the best matchups the middleweight division has seen, Adesanya maintained that he would do nothing of the sort.

In less than two rounds, he proved it.

How it happened: all the action from UFC 253

Adesanya outscored Costa to win by technical knockout, giving the Brazilian his first professional loss emphatically.

It was exactly the kind of performance the 31-year-old said he would deliver, backing up his fight against Yoel Romero earlier in the year, which received a lot of criticism for inactivity.

“Like Roy Jones said, they must have forgotten,” Adesanya said. “Everyone must have forgotten about what happened last time.

“But trust me, I had to make them remember and remind the world why we are the best.”

Adesanya, who moves to 20-0 in her professional mixed martial arts career, had little trouble with the normally aggressive Costa who appeared in her first UFC main event. Adesanya went to low kicks to Costa’s front leg early, and as Costa made almost no attempt to control them, Adesanya kept going.

Before long, the Brazilian’s left leg was covered in bruises. With the damage accumulating to her leg, Adesanya turned things around, threatening to throw a low shot but aiming for the body and head. While she was successful with her kicks, Adesanya was also finding a home for her quick and fast jab.

Costa, who was expected to try to pick up the pace of the fight early and put pressure on Adesanya, had only one moment when he was able to back the champion against the cage, but Adesanya was far too skilled and quickly struggled to get back to center stage. octagon.

After seemingly crossing the first round, Adesanya implemented a similar plan in the second, hitting Costa’s lead leg before threatening low and throwing high. It worked perfectly, as Adesanya hit Costa with a kick to the head that followed with her hands to send Costa to the mat.

He then lunged at his opponent until the referee ordered the fight to stop. Adesanya received a $ 50,000 performance-of-the-night award for his display, his seventh bonus in nine UFC fights.

With the win, Adesanya has turned down nine opponents in the UFC since his debut in early 2018, including seven opponents currently within the top 15 of the middleweight division.

Adesanya will now await his next challenger, keeping an eye out for the showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier. Adesanya has made no secret that he thinks Cannonier should be next in line for a title shot, however, he will have to surpass Whittaker to earn it.

“I already texted Jared Cannonier. He’s an amazing guy, I love his energy, he’s a beautiful man, and I said, ‘If you destroy Robert Whittaker, you’re next.’

“He’s who I want to fight next. He deserves it. If he easily beats Robert Whittaker and dominates him, he’s next.”