The pair competed for the UFC middleweight championship, with “Stylebender” putting his 185-pound crown up for grabs yet again. Adesanya and Costa had a heated rivalry leading into the fight, and finally got to settle the score. The defending champion made it look easy against the Brazilian powerhouse, putting him away late in the second round.

Adesanya’s seasoned striking was on full display, notching him yet another successful defense of his middleweight title. Now, the mixed martial arts (MMA) pros have taken to social media to voice their thoughts on how things played out on Fight Island.

Check out how the pros reacted to the lopsided performance from Adesanya here below:

Stylebender!!!!!!! #UFC253

— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) September 27, 2020

Damn that wasn’t even competitive.

— Funky 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@Benaskren) September 27, 2020

Wow impressive!!

— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) September 27, 2020

Dayyyym @stylebender 🔥 just 👏🏻 did 👏🏻 that 👏🏻

— Bec Rodriguez (@RowdyBec) September 27, 2020

Getting picked apart #UFC253

— The Golden Boy (@edmenshahbazyan) September 27, 2020

Walk in the….(where’s the park emoji)
Good one @HenryCejudo 😆#ufc253

— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) September 27, 2020

It’s not illegal to check leg kicks #UFC

— éS (@EricSpicely) September 27, 2020

Heyyy I picked correctly! #UFC253

— Niko Price (@Nikohybridprice) September 27, 2020

I still want to see Izzy vs Bones

— Funky 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@Benaskren) September 27, 2020

Wow!! Read him like a book! Crazy accuracy and timing

— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) September 27, 2020

Weird fight, right ?

— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) September 27, 2020

Hell yeah!!!! Beast @stylebender #UFC253

— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) September 27, 2020

Pretty much a domination. #UFC253

— The Golden Boy (@edmenshahbazyan) September 27, 2020

Bro, he just hit the Naruto run around the cage, among other things 😂 #AndStill #UFC253

— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) September 27, 2020

Wow! Not even close man! What a performance from Adesanya! This man will be champ for a LONG time, as long as Father Time allows it! #UFC253

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 27, 2020

A BEAUTIFUL striking display by @stylebender ! Made it look easy! #ufc253 #ufcfightisland

— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 27, 2020

Wowww!!!!! Izzy is just different man 👏🏻👏🏻

Stylebender is a straight up star!! #UFC253

— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) September 27, 2020

We No Dey Carry Last👊🏿✊🏿🇳🇬 @stylebender @ufc #UFC253

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) September 27, 2020

Damn that was pure perfection!!

— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouse) September 27, 2020

So different level! Congrats Adesanya 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #ufc253

— Thiago “Marreta” Santos (@TMarretaMMA) September 27, 2020

A master class from the middleweight KING ?! 👀#UFC253

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) September 27, 2020

Stay salty😂

— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) September 27, 2020

What a performance #ufc253

— Tyson Pedro (@tyson_pedro_) September 27, 2020

😂😂😂 #ufc253

— Peoples Champ (@YoelRomeroMMA) September 27, 2020

https://twitter.com/LaurenMurphyMMA/status/1310078117701189634

Great performance by Adesanya tonight! Congrats! #UFC253

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) September 27, 2020

Fuckin beast

— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) September 27, 2020

After an outstanding performance that saw Adesanya chop away at Costa’s lead leg, leading up to the second round TKO, the talk will now turn to what comes next for “The Last Stylebender.” Post-fight, Adesanya suggested he was looking forward to a bout with Jared Cannonioer, if the American is able to get past a tough match-up with Robert Whittaker convincingly.

Leave your thoughts on the fight in the comment section below!

The post Pros React To Israel Adesanya Dismantling Paulo Costa appeared first on Cageside Press.

At the start of 2020, few would have expected a vacant light heavyweight title, and the exodus of Jon Jones from the 205lb division. Then again, few would have expected any of what’s happened this year, so perhaps that’s not surprising. In any case, Jones has made his exit, and at UFC 253 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz made their case to be the first UFC light heavyweight champ not named Jones ro Cormier since 2011.

Blachowicz opened things up with a leg kick and kick to the body. A big left hand connected from Reyes, and he followed up with a leg kick. Blachowicz connected with a kick and hook combination. A nice kick to the body landed for Reyes, and Blachowicz fired back with a big hook and kick to the body. Another kick to the body landed for Blachowicz, Reyes landed a kick to the body to end the round.

In the second round, Reyes opened up much more aggressive. A few leg kicks connected for Reyes but Blachowicz responded with a big combination, ending with a head kick. More leg kicks from Reyes, but he’s showing bad bruising from the kicks of Blachowicz on his body. Blachowicz unloads on Reyes, seemingly breaking his nose. Blachowicz smelled blood and blitz forward, wobbling Reyes, dropping him, and finally finishing him off.

Official Result: Jan Blachowicz def. Dominick Reyes via R2 TKO (punches, 4:36)

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Just months ago, Brandon Royval was a UFC newcomer who made a splash, in part for winning his debut against former title challenger Tim Elliott. In part as well for bemoaning that performance, worried it wouldn’t be good enough to allow him to quit his day job.

By the end of the night at UFC Vegas 1 back in May, Royval had earned a Performance of the Night bonus. He landed in the UFC’s flyweight rankings shortly thereafter. Day job? Who needs it.

At UFC 253, Royvl had a shot to jump up the ladder in the division, thanks to being paired up with seventh ranked flyweight Kai Kara-France — teammate of main event star Israel Adesanya. The fight opened up with a bang. Kara-France landed a huge overhand, and Royval responded with a big sppinning elbow, each dropping the other with their respective shots. Both men ended up on the ground and a scramble ensued. Royval ended up on top in half guard but Kara-France got back to his feet.

Royval kept the pressure going and knocked Kara-France down. Royval locked in a guillotine choke but Kara-France popped out and got back to his feet. Royval again pushed th pace with big shots, Kara-France landed one big counter shot, but Royval continued to come forward before Kara-France clinched things up. The round came to an end.

The second round began with some big shots being exchanged again, and Royval locked in a guillotine and pulled guard, forcing Kara-France to tap out.

Official Result: Brandon Royval def. Kai Kara-France via R2 submission (guillotine, 0:48)

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A key women’s bantamweight fight was flying a little under the radar on the UFC 253 card. Heading into the event on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, not much attention had been paid to Ketlen Vieira and Sijara Eubanks.

That might have been a dangerous oversight. Eubanks had put together back-to-back wins in the 135lb division, and a third would certainly place her close to if not inside the top ten. Vieira, meanwhile, had been in title contention until a loss to Irene Aldana. But the seventh-ranked bantamweight could easily get back there with an impressive win Saturday. Vieira opened up the first round with immediate pressure, clinching up with Eubanks against the cage.

The pair separate and Eubanks gets off a nice leg kick. Another nice shot lands for Eubanks in the form of a right hand. Eubanks continued to find a home for the right hand before Vieira clinched up yet again. A failed takedown attempt from Vieira and Eubanks landed a nice shot to the body. Eubanks countered a shot from Vieira with a nice body punch. A big right hand landed for Vieira, who followed up with a failed takedown attempt. Big shots exchanged from both women inside the pocket, and Vieira snuck in a takedown to end the round.

In the second round, both women tried to find their range before Vieira got in a trip takedown. Vieira worked from Eubanks’ full guard, getting off the occasional ground-and-pound. The referee decided to stand the pair up. A nice kick to the body from Eubanks, and she followed up with a lead left hook. The round came to an end with both women throwing heavy leather, but not landing much.

The third and final round began with some big strike attempts from both women, Vieira connecting on some nice ones to the body. Both women were very tentative with their striking, but when they unloaded, they both did so with very heavy shots. A nice inside leg kick landed for Eubanks, followed by a lead hook to the body. More leg kicks from Eubanks, and she snuck in a body kick as well. Eubanks stuffed a takedown attempt and nearly pulled off a trip takedown on Vieira. Vieira rolled after Eubanks clinched her back and attempted a leg lock, but ate some ground-and-pound to end the round.

Official Result: Ketlen Vieira def. Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Kicking off the UFC 253 main card on Saturday was Canada’s Hakeem Dawodu, going up against Russian Zubaira Tukhugov.

The featherweight bout represented a chance for Dawodu to perhaps break into the rankings with a strong performance. Tukhugov, meanwhile, was looking to win two in a row for the first time in years. He also had something to make up for, after blowing weight by a full four pounds on Friday. The bout opened up with a few jumping front kick to the body attempts from Dawodu that didn’t land. Tukhugov connected with a nice counter lead hook on Dawodu as he stepped inside the pocket. Dawodu responded with a leg kick and Tukhugov later landed a nice right hand.

A nice uppercut to the body landed for Dawodu and Tukhugov responded with another right hand down the pipe. A nice jab landed from Tukhugov to end the first round. The second round kicked off with the jumping front kick to the body landing for Dawodu. Dawodu with another lead uppercut to the body and followed up with a leg kick. Tukhugov began to come forward with some shots but ended up eating a jab. Tukhugov responded with a hard couple of hooks, but Dawodu returned fire with a leg kick. Tukhugov landed the right hand off a Dawodu leg kick.

Another nice body shot connected for Dawodu inside the pocket. Both men exchanged some big shots in the middle of the Octagon, and Tukhugov failed on a takedown attempt. A big overhand missed from Tukhugov, but he responded with a successful takedown attempt against the cage. The round came to an end with Tukhugov on Dawodu’s back.

The final round began with Dawodu getting off some leg kicks. A nice head kick connected for Dawodu, and Tukhugov shot in on a takedown, but Dawodu defended very nicely. Dawodu landed a very nice left hook, and Tukhugov again shot in on the takedown, but Dawodu escaped the clinch up beautifully. Dawodu calls for Tukhugov to stand and bang with him in the center of the Octagon, but Tukhugov continues to back up and play it smart. A nice counter right hand landed for Dawodu, who begans to talk trash loudly. Another jumping front kick to the body from Dawodu which just lands, and the fight is over as time expires.

Official Result: Hakeem Dawodu def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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After two straight wars inside the octagon, City Kickboxing’s Brad Riddell was back at UFC 253. In the featured preliminary bout just prior to the PPV portion of the card, Riddell went up against Brazilian Alex da Silva.

Da Silva had the experience edge, but was just 1-1 in the octagon to start the night. Riddell landed the first strike of the night with a kick to the body, but da Silva responded with a beautiful combination. Da Silva connected with a few jabs before landing a takedown. He continued the pressure, sticking to Riddell, who slowly got to his feet against the cage with his back still clinched.

Da Silva was able to drag Riddell back down to the ground, but only for a few seconds as he exploaded back to his feet. A nice reverse from Riddell found him in dominant position against the cage on da Silva, and they soon separated. A takedown attempt from Riddell landed him in a guillotine attempt from Da Silva, which he survived to end the round.

The second round began with a leg kick from Riddell and Da Silva responding with a front kick to the body. Da Silva pressed against Riddell by the cage before dropping to a takedown attempt, which failed. The pair separated and began exchanging some nice shots near the center of the Octagon.

Some uppercuts from Riddell landed, which he later followed up with a few to the body. Riddell failed on a trip takedown and landed a nice right hand soon after. Riddell continued to put the pressure on with his strikes, but da Silva was caught during his flying knee attempt and briefly taken down before getting back to his feet. A nice body shot for da Silva connected, followed by a failed takedown attempt. A very nice combination landed for Riddell just before the end of the round.

The third and final round began with an embrace from both men, before Riddell pressured forward with some nice shots to the body. Two nice right hands landed for da Silva, and Riddell responded with a beautiful counter elbow. Riddell pulled off a nice counter throw to take da Silva down off his own takedown attempt, and they quickly got back to the feet. Da Silva obtained a back clinch and landed some knees to end the round.

Official Result: Brad Riddell def. Alex da Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The original ultimate fighter returned at UFC 253. Diego Sanchez took on Jake Matthews at welterweight on the preliminary card of the Fight Island event, in what was likely to be one of the final fights of his storied career.

There are so many Diego Sanchez stories in MMA that you could easily write a book on the man. That continued Saturday, as Sanchez had brought former rival Stephen Bonnar with him to Abu Dhabi as a corner. Beyond that, Sanchez was coming in off a bizarre performance against Michel Pereira, which he had eventually won by DQ.

Matthews, for his part, had won two straight, against Emil Weber Meek and Rostem Akman. Sanchez opened up the first round rather aggressivley, but Mathews held him back with a takedown attempt that failed. Mathews connected with a head kick and continued to walk Sanchez down. Sanchez had difficulty finding his range, and quite the opposite for Mathews, who was connecting nicely. Sanchez failed on a takedown attempt, and Mathews blasted in for one of his own, getting it into half guard. The round ended with a leg lock attempt from Sanchez, who ate some big ground-and-pound.

The second round began with Mathews pushing the pace again, walking Sanchez down and catching him with a nice uppercut. More shots continued to land for Mathews, and Sanchez responded by swinging for the fences, but only hitting air. Mathews landed a few hooks off a Sanchez leg kick and continued to walk Sanchez down.

Kicking off the third and final round was a flying attack from Sanchez, who missed and ate a lead hook from Mathews instead. A big right hand from Mathews dropped Sanchez, and Mathews swarmed on for the ground-and-pound. Laying in half guard, Mathews continued to smash Sanchez with ground strikes, before Sanchez attempted an armbar from the bottom. Mathews escaped and went back into Sanchez’s full guard. The fight came to an end with Mathews continuing to land big shots on the ground.

Official Result: Jake Mathews def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

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Paulo Costa is trying to get under Israel Adesanya’s skin ahead of UFC 253. Costa recently released a mock fight video for their upcoming matchup, poking fun at “Stylebender’s” performance in his last fight against Yoel Romero. In the video, Adesanya is played by Costa training partner and Thai kickboxer Vanderlei “Toquinho” Goncalves. Goncalves’ “Runnersanya” proceeds to run around the Octagon, forcing Costa to chase him down.

This stems from Adesanya’s last performance against Yoel Romero in March, which he won via unanimous decision to retain the middleweight title. For the most part, the fight was poorly received for its lack of action, with some criticizing Adesanya for not engaging. You can check out the full mock fight video from Costa here below.

Adesanya and Costa will headline the UFC 253 pay-per-view (PPV) from the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on September 27.  It will be one of the rare times that two undefeated fighters will compete for a UFC title against one another. The PPV will also feature a co-main event that will decide the fate of the vacant light heavyweight title, as Dominick Reyes goes head-to-head with Jan Blachowicz.

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Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will return to the Octagon against Colby Covington in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 36. The action goes down on September 19 from the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Woodley and Covington’s fight has been years in the making, going back to Woodley’s days as 170-pound champ. The pair have amassed a heated rivalry with each other which will certainly result in fireworks come fight night.

However, as Woodley recently mentioned on Instagram Live, he’s willing to lose some points on the judges’ scorecards if it means he can sneak in a low blow against “Chaos.” (H/T BJPenn.com)

“I will let my hands go. You guys and you fans telling me ‘let your hands go, let your hands go,’ I need to let them go. You have that, you have my word I will let these hands go,” Woodley said. “I’ll let them go upside his head, body. I might even punch in the sack for the warning, bap. I will take the warning or even the point deduction, I feel good guys.”

Woodley’s run as the UFC’s welterweight champion was one of the most memorable of all time. “T-Wood” was able to rack up a six-fight win streak that included wins over Robbie Lawler, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Darren Till, and more. However, he was dethroned by Kamaru Usman in dominant fashion back in March of 2019. Gilbert Burns handed him his second-straight loss in May with another lopsided unanimous decision. Now, Woodley hopes to get back on track with a win over Covington, who has established himself as one of the biggest names in the UFC.

Covington was riding high off a seven-fight win streak that eventually earned him a title opportunity. He was stopped late in the fifth round of he and Kamaru Usman’s classic 170-pound title fight in December. Now, having left American Top Team (ATT) and completely revamping his training, Covington looks to get back on track with a win over one of the best welterweights of all time.

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Things didn’t go Sean O’Malley’s way this past weekend at UFC 252 on pay-per-view (PPV). “Sugar” and Marlon Vera co-headlined the event in a highly-anticipated bantamweight bout. Many expected O’Malley to rise to the occasion and leave victorious. However, O’Malley injured his leg early in the first round, opening up the door for Vera to pounce for the finish.

O’Malley was in a lot of pain over the leg injury he sustained, needing to be taken to the back on a stretcher. Ben Askren, who filled in for Daniel Cormier on “DC & Helwani” this week, voiced his displeasure with O’Malley allowing himself to be carted off like that.

“He wanted to just be out of there for whatever reason,” Askren said. “If they tried carting me out because of an ankle injury, I would’ve fought someone over that,” Askren said. “You’re not putting my ass on a stretcher because I got an ankle injury. I got one other good leg, and I’m gonna hop all the way to the back. Leave me the eff alone. I think he needs to grow up. …”

Responding on his “The Timbo and Sugar Show” podcast, O’Malley called Askren “slow” for his critical comments.

“I thought Ben Askren was smart,” O’Malley said. (via MMA Junkie) “I didn’t know he was slow. You have an opportunity, you (expletive) your foot up. I had an opportunity. Your foot’s (expletive) up, and you have to walk here to there.

As for O’Malley’s health, he didn’t seem to suffer any significant damage to his ankle. He’s set to visit another doctor later this week for an MRI. However, given the recent video he posted of himself dancing, “Sugar” seems to be doing fine. In his caption he claimed he simply “tripped” in the fight and is fine.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEIACw1hJyf/?utm_source=ig_embed

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