Israel Adesanya turned in a dominant striking display against Paulo Costa tonight in the main event of UFC 253, culminating in a second round TKO stoppage to successfully defend his middleweight title.
Round One:
The main event middleweight title fight is underway on Fight Island.
Leg kick for Adesanya. Oblique kick for Adesanya now. The champion is keeping his distance and lands another leg kick. Costa winds up on a kick and Adesanya moves away.
Leg kick for Costa. Adesanya feints and then lands a calf kick. Body kick for Costa. Jab from Adesanya. Upper body kick from Costa gets a nod from Adesanya. Hard leg kick for Adesanya.
Calf kick again from Adesanya. Body kick for Costa and a grazing right hand counter from Adesanya.
Again with the calf kick from Adesanya. He pumps out the jab. Costa puts his hands behind his back and jaws at Adesanya. Kick from the Brazilian.
Now they are talking to each other and standing motionless for a moment. Adesanya aborts a kick and Costa barrels forward trying to capitalize on that but doesn’t land cleanly.
Again Adesanya with a low leg kick, always landing to roughly the same spot below the knee. Front kick to the body for the champ. Hard, fast body kick from Adesanya.
Olbique kick to the increasingly reddened knee of the Brazilian. Costa trying to close the distance and lands a body kick.
Missed hooks from Costa as the signal for 10 seconds remaining in the round sounds.
Round Two:
Adesanya fakes a leg kick. Now he does land one. Again he lands there. He snaps the jab out and then tries a head kick that misses.
Now an inside leg kick from Adesanya. Again he threatens to go upstairs with the head kick. Costa with a head kick that doesn’t come close to landing. Costa with a leg kick though and another behind it.
Again the leg kick for Adesanya. Jab lands for Costa to the chin. Head kick partially connects from Adesanya and Costa jokingly pretends to be hurt.
Jab comes up short for Costa against the longer. Nice body kick from Adesanya. He lands a counter as Costa tries to close the distance.
Latest calf kick lands for Adesanya. Big kick upstairs lands hard, but Costa takes it. Costa’s leg is completely chewed up at this stage of the fight.
Inside kick to the thigh now from Adesanya. Jab from Costa and a grazing hook behind it. Jab lands for Adesanya.
Hard body kick for Costa. Adesanya cool, calm and collected though. He steps back, lands a hook and Costa crumbles to the mat! Adesanya immediately gets on top and starts raining down vicious ground and pound and the referee quickly moves in to wave off the fight, handing ‘The Last Stylebender’ a convincing TKO stoppage victory at 3.59mins of the second round!
