Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa spent months trading verbal shots, but when it came time to step into the Octagon at UFC 253, the only meaningful blows that landed were those of middleweight champion.

No. 2 ranked contender Paulo Costa found the champion very much at fault. “Horrible fight,” Costa said after UFC 248 (via MMA Junkie). “I was ashamed to watch that fight. Adesanya is nothing.

Because I just watched Israel Adesanya dismantle a far bigger, substantially stronger and considerably more lantern-jawed opponent in Paulo Costa in the main event of Saturday's UFC 253.

The pay-per-view card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view. In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya faces Paulo Costa. Adesanya won the 185-pound title in October 2019 with a ...

Paulo Costa demanded a rematch with Israel Adesanya on Monday – two days after he lost by technical knockout in the second round at UFC 253 in a UFC Middleweight Championship fight. After ...

FIGHT ISLAND — Paulo Costa is "already dead" and so the UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya should move on to a super-fight with Jon Jones, who would be the perfect foil, former UFC ...

Israel Adesanya took his UFC 253 celebration(s) a step too far after putting on a clinic against previously unbeaten Paulo Costa in their much-anticipated pay-per-view main event on Saturday in ...

Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are both undefeated and will compete for the middleweight title on Saturday. While the two have exchanged some heated words ahead of the fight, the surprise of ...

Former champ anticipates Strickland wins by decision due to Costa's inactivity. Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who has previously faced both Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa ...

PAULO COSTA is determined to earn a rematch with Israel Adesanya by making a 'statement' in his upcoming showdown with Robert Whittaker. The Brazilian bruiser suffered a second-round TKO defeat to ...