The UFC 253 returns live on Saturday, September 26th for MMA fans in the United States. However, for the fighter on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, they’re looking at an early Sunday morning call for fights. The UFC 253 timeframe won’t be the first time fighters would have to adjust to a new timeframe for their fights, as the Fight Island is returning since the end of July. The Fight Island is returning with a bang, hosting five events, and the first will see Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya headline for the UFC middleweight championship.
The fight preparation between the two has gotten ugly already, with the Nigerian-born mixed martial artist accusing Costa of being on steroids and Costa releasing parody videos of how he thinks the fight is going to go. On top of this, the event will see a new light heavyweight champion crowned in the post-Jon-Jones-era, as well as a slew of new names for fans to invest in, and on fox website, there is a wide range of prediction for fans to bet on ahead of this bout ranging from Adesanya to via unanimous decision or Costa winning be a knockout.
That being said, let’s take a look at five reasons why the UFC 253 is a must-watch.
Hopefully, the UFC 253 will birth a new champion
The UFC light heavyweight championship is online when Dominick Reyes takes on Jan Blachowicz to crown the first light heavyweight champion in the post-Jon Jones era. The fight division honours have been largely tangled around Jones for the better part of eight-plus years, and when he wasn’t at the top, it was Daniel Cormier’s division. So for the first time in a decade, the fight division is on the verge of birthing a new champion. It remains to be seen who will walk out of the UFC 253 as the light heavyweight champion.
Creation of three brand new starts in women’s bantamweight underway
The UFC 253 once against might be on the verge of birthing another three brand new starts in women’s bantamweight fighter Ketlen Vieria, flyweight fighter Kai Kara-France, and featherweight fighter Hakeen Dawodu. The trio all being under 30, and Vieria and Kara-France are both ranked in the top ten of their respective divisions. Also, if Dawodu secure winning in UFC 253, he very well could crack the top-15 of the UFC featherweight division. There’s a reason why we are seeing all three on the main of one of the biggest fights of the year. The UFC wants to see if they can birth new stars and it’s very possible that they just might with the UFC 253.
To see if Israel Adesanya can actually have an entertaining fight
Many of the division fans noted some significant change with Adesanya when he fought Yoel Romero. Despite the fight being heavily billed and a highly sought fight by fans, the bout ended up being a dud. Romero and Adesanya’s upcoming opponent being Paulo Costa are nearly identical in style and size. Both fighters have deep grappling backgrounds but they prefer striking and both men are known for their knockout finishes. And with Adesanya no wanting to engage with Romero, it makes one wonder how aggressive he could be with Costa?
This could be Diego Sanchez last fight in the UFC
Since Diego Sanchez lost to Josh Koscheck, he is currently 13-12 in MMA. If Sanchez wins at UFC 253, the 38-years-old will have won four of his last fight and may actually make it to the top 15 of the UFC lightweight rankings. A loss, however, will have a .500 record since losing his first fight. The fact that we are still seeing Sanchez in the ring is quizzical, with a lot of damage to his body. Coming off a controversial win against Michel Pereira last time out, that saw Sanchez losing the fight until an illegal knee got Pereira disqualified. If Sanchez has another lackluster outing, even if it’s a victory, we are backing the New-Mexico born to bid farewell to UFC.
The rise of New Zealand MMA
Fast-forward back to when Conor McGregor was on top of the UFC, the division was banking on his fellow countrymen from Ireland to intensify during a big way and help make Ireland a country for MMA. Sanctioning issues, the in-competition demise of João Carvalho, and McGregor’s own personal downfall have seen Ireland dissolve into nothing. New Zealand, on the other hand, is now the UFC’s prime target. With Adesanya, Shane Young, and Kara-France all on schedule for the UFC 253 card. There’s nothing more convincing with this as per the Flaming Hairdryer other than it’s a strong sign that the UFC may want to bolster its presence in New Zealand. More so, if all three men win, then that gives New Zealand more clout in the MMA world than ever before. When you also factor in Jake Matthews from Australia, and current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC would seemingly have a nice grip over the Pacific’s southern hemisphere.
