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Adesanya eliminated his challenger before finishing him in the second round, remaining undefeated as he gave Costa the first loss of his professional career.
In the co-main event, Jan Blachowicz also secured a second round TKO to become Poland’s first UFC men’s champion, beating Dominick Reyes to claim the title that Jon Jones vacated last month.
Here’s a look at what could and should be next for the four protagonists of last weekend’s event on Abu Dhabi’s ‘Fight Island’.
Adesanya vs. Winner of Cannonier vs. Whittaker
This one is pretty obvious. Adesanya called out Jared Cannonier after beating Costa, hoping the American will follow suit in taking down former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Cannonier, on a three-game win streak before that clash next month, will certainly deserve a title fight if he can add a win over Whittaker to his resume, but that’s far from guaranteed.
And if Whittaker wins, he will likely have earned the right to a rematch with Adesanya in an attempt to win back what the Nigerian-born New Zealander took from him a year ago.
An impressive decision win over Liverpool’s Darren Till this summer proved that Whittaker is still one of the best in the world, and if he continues that by beating Cannonier, especially if he ends ‘The Killa Gorilla’, few people would argue against him. returning to the Octagon with Adesanya, even if most will expect a similar result to last time, given how impressive ‘The Last Stylebender’ still looks.
Costa vs Hermansson winner vs Till
Many expected Costa to be a much tougher test for Adesanya than it proved to be on Saturday, but the champion showed the true gulf of quality between him and his challenger. However, that says more about Adesanya’s level than Costa’s.
The Brazilian is still a threat at 185 pounds (and one day, surely, 205) and in his day, you can still imagine him ending up with players like Jack Hermansson and Cannonier, even Whittaker, even though all those men are more technically proficient in martial arts. artists than Costa.
The Hermansson vs Till winner is a good choice for ‘The Eraser’ next time. You could also argue for the underdog of Cannonier vs. Whittaker, but that might actually keep Costa a little closer to a title shot, and he doesn’t need to be that close to a rematch with Adesanya right now; you need to prove it. Over the course of a few fights that could conjure up a different outcome against the reigning champion, as Whittaker is trying to do right now.
Going forward, there are also many attractive options for Costa: a rematch with Yoel Romero would be fun after a very close decision in a savage competition last time; Kelvin Gastelum and the Brazilian could bring down the house; and Derek Brunson is re-establishing himself in the division.
Blachowicz vs winner of Santos vs Texeira
Another fight that depends on the outcome of an upcoming fight.
Blachowicz called Jones after finishing Reyes, and while ‘Bones’ had a bit of fun on social media by seemingly toying with the idea of an immediate return to light heavyweight to reclaim his throne, the American should go ahead with his planned move. to heavyweight.
Looking at the 205-pound ranking, then, the next man in line for a title shot should be the winner of Thiago Santos’s impending showdown with veteran Glover Texeira.
Santos arguably beat Jones on points last summer, only to see the then champion raise his hand and the Brazilian has been recovering from injury in the past year. A Santos win is all it takes to convince fans that he deserves another shot at the belt, facing the new champion.
Texeira, meanwhile, may be a less exciting potential opponent for Blachowicz, especially at 40, but he has won four games in a row. If he gets to five, especially against a top-tier contender like his compatriot Santos, he deserves to get in there with the mighty Pole.
While the Santos vs Texeira underdog is also an option for Reyes, the more natural fit here feels like a showdown with Aleksandar Rakic.
The fifth-ranked light heavyweight is 13-2, having won 12 in a row after losing his first professional fight. In fact, most people think it should have been 13 in a row, but his compatriot Volkan Oezdemir controversially received the nod from two of the three judges when the two met late last year.
Either way, it didn’t stop Rakic’s momentum and the Austrian beat former title challenger Anthony Smith quite convincingly last month.
Rakic has been nearing the top of the light heavyweight division for a while now, and the 28-year-old would be firmly on the line for a golden opportunity if he defeated Reyes of California.
