- Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa, defending the middleweight title.
- Jan Blachowicz surprised Dominick Reyes, winning the UFC light heavyweight belt.
- Both wins came via second-round TKO.
Adesanya Shows his Greatness
The “Last Stylebender” demolished his title-challenger Paulo Costa last night in the main event of the UFC 253. One of the most expected matches in the previous few years saw the champion dominating from the start, up until his spectacular finish. That happened at 4:36 of the second round.
“I told you guys I’m 10 steps ahead… I told you guys in the pre-fight I’m not a human punching bag. He’s only fought human punching bags, guys who will just stand there and cover up,” said Adesanya about his opponent following the fight.
Izzy kept the distance between him and Costa using severe leg kicks, all of them targeting Costa’s lead leg. By the start of the second round, the Brazilian was already much slower, and he couldn’t move around lightly as he always does.
All of his attacks were unsuccessful, with one such resulting with a superb left counter from Adesanya, which ended on his temple, taking Borrachinha down. The champion was all over him, using punches and elbows to further damage already bloodied fighter. The referee in the ring had no other choice but to stop the fight.
Following the same, Adesanya indicated that his next opponent should be Jared Cannonier, but that could only happen if he defeats the former champion in this division, Robert Whittaker, whom he meets in the recent future.
Blachowicz Slashes Reyes
Since arriving at the UFC, Jan Blachowicz was all about fighting against the odds. The Polish fighter once again had to beat them last night. He was a big underdog against Dominick Reyes, who almost took over the belt from Jon Jones, but after looking at what happened in the ring, we need to say that the bookies made a massive mistake.
Blachowicz wrecked the “Devastator,” forcing the referee to stop the fight due to a TKO at 3:59 of the second round. His punching power once again amazed everyone, as he brought down one of the biggest names in the light heavyweight division.
The first male Polish champion in the division constantly punished Reyes, targeting his ribs with strong left kicks. It was obvious after the first round that the American suffered colossal damage in that area and that he has trouble with protecting it.
Blachowicz delivered several strong hits to Reyes’ head, before his rival entered an open brawl, which eventually cost him a lot. A furious left hook dropped Reyes on the ground after a few steps of wobbling, and the Pole quickly jumped on the opponent to add several strong ground-and-pound strikes. The referee had to stop this one too.
After the fight, the new champion started calling out his wish for the next rival.
“The only thing in my mind is, Jon Jones, where are you?” Blachowicz said. “This is how we do it in Poland. I’m waiting for you.”
