WATCH: Israel Adesanya Destroys Paulo Costa With a Dominant TKO to Retain Middleweight Title at UFC 253

Israel Adesanya put his bitter rivalry with Paulo Costa behind him with a second-round knockout of the previously undefeated Brazilian. The Champion improves his record to a clean 20-0, while Costa will need to regroup from his 13-win streak being ended.

The fight was a tense affair. ‘Izzy’ started dominating off the bat by piercing Costa up with leg kicks. It slowed down Costa’s attack as he couldn’t find any entry points in his striking. The leg damage accumulated till the second round where Izzy continue the punishment. Costa tried to come back into the fight, but Adesanya’s speed and power stopped him in the second round.

Izzy called out Jared Cannonier after the win. The fight is contingent on him getting past former champion Robert Whittaker, but Adesanya has proven that he takes the fights he asks for. This fight had a lot of hype and anticipation and lived up to it. Adesanya’s star shines a lot brighter after this win.

Israel Adesanya moving on to bigger things?

Will this be the time for the rumored shift to light heavyweight for Izzy? He has been proving that his size and power deceive opponents consistently, as he keeps getting KO wins. Out of the current top contenders in the division, Adesanya has beaten everyone apart from Jack Hermansson, Darren Till, and Jared Cannonier.

Izzy might not want to take the matchup with Jan Blachowicz, but could he entice Jon Jones to stick around the division for one more fight? The match-up has long been fantasized about, with the pair even feuding in the media with each other. However, that jump still looks a little unlikely, especially as Jones looks to be chasing a title in the heavyweight division.

Adesanya is looking to defending his title against Cannonier, but what happens if Cannonier loses? Would he rematch Whittaker? Would he just wait to see what happens with Jack Hermansson, or maybe even wait to see if ‘The Gorilla’ rises up the ranks? The opportunities for the middleweight Champion seem endless. Hopefully, we see him back in the cage sooner rather than later.