Israel Adesanya defeats Paulo Costa via TKO to retain the Middleweight Championship

Nigeria’s mixed martial art boxer Israel Adesanya retained his reign in the middleweight division with a second-round knockout win over Paulo Costa of Brazil 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.

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