And Still… Israel Adesanya beats Paulo Costa to retain the Middleweight Title at UFC 253
- Israel Adesanya reminded the world why he was the best in the Middleweight division
- The two undefeated fighters came into the match each buzzing with confidence but it was Adesanya who had the last smile
And Still… Israel Adesanya beats Paulo Costa to retain the Middleweight Title at UFC 253
Israel Adesanya reminded Paulo Costa and all doubters of his greatness on Saturday night in a dominant defense of his middleweight title, winning by TKO in the second round in the main event of UFC 253.
Adesanya dominated Paulo Costa in the night’s main event, silencing his rival after months of back-and-forth trash talk.
Adesanya spent the first round blasting Costa’s legs with kicks before finishing the fight in the second round with a left hook that put Costa on the canvas and ground-and-pound that closed the show.
With the win, Adesanya improved his perfect record to 20-0 and successfully defended his middleweight title for a second time.
In the other main event of the night, Jan Blachowicz took home the previously-vacant light heavyweight title after beating Dominick Reyes.
Blachowicz dominated the fight, not allowing Reyes to have any impact in the rather one-sided clash.
The Polish got the win with a second-round TKO and take the light heavyweight title that Jon Jones vacated as he pushes for a step into the heavyweight division.
Elsewhere on the card, Brandon Royval thrilled with a second-round submission over Kai Kara-France after the two had a wild exchange in the opening frame that saw both men wobbled.
Ketlen Viera also bolstered her resume with a decision win over Sijara Eubanks. And Hakeem Dawodu got by Zubaria Tukhugov by split decision.
