Costa dissappoints, Adesanya Dominates with 2nd Round TKO

Thought to have the potential to be the greatest fight of the year, Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa within two rounds.

Adesanya proved to be the better striker, landing many kicks to the body and legs of Costa early on in the fight. Per the UFC's official stats, Adesanya landed 24 significant strikes to the head, with Costa only landing 2. All it took was a left hook that clipped the side of Costa's head to put him down. Adesanya followed with a barrage of punches from mount position until referee Jason Herzog stepped in to end the fight.

Costa was unable to gain any traction on offense. He appeared to be looking for angles and potential shots to throw at Adesanya, but only threw 11 strikes in the entire 1st round. Costa continually taunted Adesanya throughout the bout, but was hesitant to launch his all-out striking combinations which have been common in past fights.