Israel Adesanya managed to beat Paulo Costa at UFC 253. The victory is strong evidence that Adesanya is not a boring fighter.
Adesanya was heavily criticized when he won points against Yoel Romero earlier this year. He is considered to be playing too safe and only eyeing for points to finally win points at the end of the match.
Adesanya considers him not to be blamed because as a challenger, Romero is supposed to be more fierce. Adesanya hints that he doesn’t have a partner who won’t dance on the octagon, so his performance is boring.
The test for Adesanya was then presented in the match against Paulo Costa. Paulo Costa is a terrible figure who has a high KO / TKO record. He has only failed to win KO / TKO once and is also unbeaten in his career in the mixed martial arts world.
With such a background, Adesanya has to bear a big burden at UFC 253. This has been seen since the beginning of the fight. Adesanya is very focused and doesn’t play as much or dance as he usually does.
Adesanya’s strategy in the match against Paulo Costa was very precise. Kicks towards the lower leg are a great way to hurt your opponent. That part is the part that is most vulnerable to attack compared to having to target more vital parts such as the head.
The kick to the foot was quite affecting Paulo Costa’s footwork. Paulo Costa was unable to move swiftly because Adesanya kept beating his feet as the axis of motion.
Entering the second round, when Costa’s attention was shattered because of his foot being targeted, an Adesanya left kick shot into Paulo Costa’s right temple.
This movement is clearly very impressive because Adesanya can shoot quickly and decisively into Paulo Costa’s temples.
Two left punches lodged in the face then made Paulo Costa dazed. The repeated blows then made the referee stop the match.
Adesanya still has the right to the UFC middleweight champion belt.
After successfully erasing the ‘sin’ of being considered boring in the match against Romero, Adesanya is now back in the highest and most respected position in the middle class.
His record is now 20 matches unbeaten in mixed martial arts. As a fighter, Adesanya has indeed come a long way to get to this point.
The path he took wasn’t just 20 fights in MMA. He was involved in more than 70 fights in boxing and kick boxing. This forged his mental strength and focus during the match.
Adesanya is a complete standing fight type fighter. His punches were hard because he had mastered the boxing technique.
His kicks are fast and deadly because he has kick boxing capital. This is compounded by the long reach and fast footwork.
It is difficult for the opponent to land a punch or attempt to take down Adesanya.
After beating Paulo Costa who was considered a tough opponent, Adesanya is now waiting for his next opponent. From the ranking list, the next opponent might be Jared Cannonier.
Cannonier will meet Robert Whittaker next month at UFC 254. If Cannonier wins, it will be his turn to fight Adesanya.
However, if Whittaker wins, it is most likely Whittaker who will get the chance to rematch Adesanya’s opponent.
Whoever Adesanya’s next opponent is, the fighter nicknamed ‘The Last Stylebender’ will be hard to beat if he displays a performance like when he dueled against Paulo Costa.
