Nigerian MMA fighter, Israel Adesanya Knocks Out Paulo Costa To Retain UFC Middleweight Title (Videos)

Israel Adesanya once again proved his supremacy in the middleweight division with a second-round knockout win over Paulo Costa in the main event of UFC 253 on Saturday.

The comprehensive victory has seen the self-acclaimed Stylebender retain his middleweight title in ruthless fashion.

Adesanya before the fight had boasted he would deal ruthlessly with his Brazilian opponent and he did just that right from the first round where he capitalized firmly on the seemingly wait-and-see approach by showering him with devastating leg kicks.

The Nigerian fighter was even more aggressive in the second round, continuing to mercilessly attack the lead leg while also throwing head kicks.

When Adesanya stepped up and targeted the head with punches, Costa caved in and the champion added another successful title defense to his name.

In the end, Costa was left bloodied and bruised all over and his hitherto undefeated record left in tatters after being ripped apart so ruthlessly.

The Brazilian simply could not close the distance, eating brutal lead leg kicks, desperately swinging to try and land a powerful performance.

Already, accolades are pouring in for Adesanya with the Nigeria Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, leading trail with a congratulatory message.

He wrote on his twitter handle: “Israel Adesanya wins again. Second round knockout! Middle Weight Champion of the World! Nigeria in the podium again. Shout out to Lagos!”

Many other fans across the world have also been hailing Adesanya with many admitting they never expected an easy win for the Nigerian who now has 20 wins in 20 fights.

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Nigerian-born MMA fighter, Israel Adesanya knocks out Paulo Costa to retain his middleweight title Israel Adesanya defeated Brazil's Paulo Costa with a second-round TKO win to retain his UFC middleweight title in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. The middleweight undefeated champion battered Costa's front leg with multiple kicks to quiet the Brazilian fighter's trash-talking in the first round of the main event on Fight Island. In the second round, Adesanya opened up Costa's face with a high kick and then finished the challenger with punches. Costa stumbled backward and could not recover as he was left bloodied and bruised on the canvas. The win is Adesanya’s 20th professional MMA victory. He remains the world's best middleweight at a perfect 20-0. "I've been telling you guys, but everyone thinks … like Roy Jones said, 'Y'all must have forgot' because of what happened last time," Adesanya said after his win. "I had to remind the world who's the best." ‘The Last Stylebender’ calling out Jared Cannonier for his next fight dueing the post-match interview. “I already messaged Jared Cannonier, he is a hell of a dude, I love his energy, I said, you destroy Robert Whittaker, you are next. He’s the one I want to fight next.”

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