UFC 253 – Israel Adesenya reminds the world why he is the Middleweight King on Fight Island

Not all zeros are equal.

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya entered the title fight 19-0 on Saturday night. His challenger Paulo Costa came in 13-0. When the UFC 253 main event began and it was time for the duo to line up their unbeaten records, Adesanya completely overtook Costa.

He did so in style, taking the lead leg, body and head with the Brick Brazilian kick from the start. He slowed down Costa, bleeding him, and then finished the second round with a second-round fury at 3:59. Adesanya showed everything she had.

The player and his challenge ahead of this fight in the UFC return to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates were not good things to talk about with each other. But now that their fight is over, Adesenya has a little thank you for bringing a generous gift to Costa.

The challenger fought in front of him at the center of the Ectagon.

Costa never let go of the anger of moving his trademark forward, which ended all but one of his previous fights. But he initially chased the champion, sucking the calf after the calf and closing the distance. Costa never won against Adesania because he was so elusive and accurate with counter-punches and other strikes. Costa tried to pull the player forward, teasing him, sticking out his tongue and placing his hands behind his back. But Adesanya is not only very talented for Costa, she is also very smart. He will not be provoked into a fight.

Adesanya had a perfect fight and, in fact, it could not have come at a better time.

Going over the 185-pound line-up and taking the division, the player is in pain to pour out the artistry that has turned him into an attraction to behold. Last October night, when he defeated Robert Whittaker to become the champion, “The Last Stylebunder” was pure entertainment – too Before He led the UFC-Record crowd of 57,127 in Melbourne, Australia, to a dance routine.

Brightness was out five months later from that night’s performance, however, in Adesenia’s first title defense. His challenger, Joel Romero, had previously had a complete hostility in his fights, but he did not advance a step against Adesenia in March. It left the player to lead the dance. But Adesania is the best as an anti-boxer, and for five dull rounds he also seemed to stand in the cement. It was a cheating fight for the spectators and the champion missed an opportunity to build his stellar power.

“I think it’s a valley in my story,” Adesanya told reporters last week. “It’s my valley, now is the time to rise again. … This is what’s going to shoot me in the next layer.”

On Saturday night, after he revealed a performance outside of this world, he said, “As Roy Jones said, I say, ‘Everyone should forget,’ ‘The reason for what happened last time.’

By blocking the Costa challenge, Adesanya now has a series of successful title defenses – any male fighter now wearing a UFC belt. The 31-year-old Nigerian-born New Zealander has established himself as one of those players’ most amazing stars.

Consider the other men who hold UFC gold: Stipe Myosic, John Blaszczowicz, Kamaru Usman, Kabib Normakometov, Alexander Volkonovsky, Peter Yan and Divson Fikurido. All of the star fighters, but with the exception of Normakomedo’s smashmouth offense, there aren’t a lot of style points on top of the men’s game.

The most entertaining scene we get from the current UFC champion – with the exception of Adosania – is the vortex dance routine that Valentina Shevchenko pulls behind every inevitable defense of her flying crown. His fight has a high kicking grace. The other female belt holders, Amanda Nunes and Zhang Weili, are just like most of their male counterparts: they fight the wrath of champions, stop talking, and turn to others.

Adesanya showed on Saturday the same stylish player we started to get used to before the Romero mess. This should expand the already growing appeal among fans. There is no one in the building for the UFC 253 due to the corona virus infection, but in normal times a packed arena that allows it to be known – loudly – is very important to paying customers. When a fighter like Adesanya performs, the amount inside the building usually changes to a few decibels. The next time he secures his belt we will experience that noise again.

However, no matter how important a fan request is in a fighter’s bank account, there is nothing as important as winning. It takes style points to place a fighter on a high level of prominence. Adosanya ensured a focus on moving forward by showing off the smarts and the balance it takes to defend a failed challenger who is constantly closing.

Adisanya was the laser center in Round 1, Costa saw everything thrown his way and hit the most. The player was patient because he missed the challenger, he could not get to Adesanya and could not get out of what was shot behind. Throughout the first round Costa showed a brave face, trying to dismiss the power of Adesenia’s kicks, but as the second round wore on, you can practically see his confidence drain.

Adesenya controlled every inch of the Ektagan and every second of the fight. That mastery could add a long reign to him at the top of Middleweight Mountain.

The stylishly dominated win on Saturday was a big step in the fans wanting to unveil the future of this champion.