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Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa to retain the UFC middleweight title via a second round TKO.
Adesanya was able to land several kicks to the legs during the first two rounds. He landed several blows to the head and was able to put Costa on the mat and hit his head before the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
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The 31-year-old Nigerian star earned his 20th victory in mixed martial arts. You still have to lose.
Adesanya’s fight against Costa, held at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, was his second in 2020. He defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision on March 7 in Las Vegas to defend his middleweight title.
He won the UFC Interim Middleweight Championship at UFC 236 against Kelvin Gastelum in Atlanta by unanimous decision. He then won and unified the title with his victory over Robert Whittaker in Melbourne by knockout.
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Along with victories over Costa, Romero, Gastelum and Whittaker, Adesanya also defeated UFC legend Anderson Silva at UFC 234. He has been going strong in the UFC since he made his debut at UFC 221.
Costa also entered the fight undefeated. He became one of the biggest middleweight contenders after beating Yoel Romero, Uriah Hall, and Johny Hendricks. He was 13-0 overall coming into the fight against Adesanya.
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The next contender for the title is unclear. Whittaker and Costa were among the top contenders for the title. Jared Cannonier and Jack Hermansson are also potential contenders for Adesanya’s belt.
