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Writer's pictureAsia Ryan

UFC 253 : Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa

Middleweight Division


UFC 253 will be stage to an electrifying, HIGHLY anticipated Middleweight Championship bout. the 19-0, 6'4" middleweight champion of the world, Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya, , against Paulo “The Eraser” Costa, a 13-0, 6'1" orthodox striker. Someone’s "O" has got to go!



Israel Adesanya quickly rose through the middleweight ranks, with only 19 months in between his UFC debut, and him becoming the undisputed Middleweight Champion. On his road to the title, he fought Kelvin Gastelum, a high level striker and grappler in August 2019. The fight was grueling and allowed both fighters to show off their striking prowess. Adesanya ultimately came out on top in a unanimous decision victory. 6 months later, he would TKO the Middleweight Champion, Robert Whittaker in RD2, becoming the undisputed Middleweight Champion.


Paulo Costa is chasing gold after tearing through the Middleweight division, accumulating 11 KO/TKO’s in 13 total professional fights. Costa’s last fight was against then 13-3 Yoel Romero, an exceptional wrestler who dominated the division for years. This three round fight was the longest of Costas career, going the distance, resulting in a unanimous decision. Prior to this fight, Costa had never made it to the third round, and finished 9 of his 13 opponents in the first round.


If anyone reading this knows me, they know I LOVE me some Stylebender. I am 100% in his corner in this fight. It is hard not to recognize the power that Paulo Costa possesses; 11 of 13 wins by knockout is something to talk about. However, I question if his “Fight IQ” is as high as Adesanya’s. It would also behoove me to factor in the bad blood between these fighters! The trash talking has added fuel to this fire, and will undoubtedly spill over on fight night. Costa has been calling Adesanya out on all social media platforms for MONTHS, calling him a “skinny boy” and claiming that all Adesanya did in his Romero fight was run the whole time. . Things could get tricky if either fighter lets this bad blood boil over and becomes careless. That could lead to sloppy fighting, resulting in mistakes. I did mention Costa’s impressive knockout record, however, Adesanya also possesses knockout power. Of his 19 wins, 14 have come by KO/TKO. One thing we probably won’t have to worry about in this fight are takedown attempts. Neither fighter has a takedown attempt in their professional career, which is absolutely insane to me. But the only thing I know for certain here is…there will be blood shed!

 


Hammer: Israel Adesanya
Nail: Paulo Costa
Prediction: 48-47 via U.D



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