Photo Credit: The Sun

Match Preview: UFC 253 – Adesanya vs Costa – 9/19/2020

Another weekend is among us, which means another night of fights is in order as the UFC returns to Fight Island with two title bouts.

The UFC is back on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi for UFC 253.

In the main event, somebody’s O has got to go as two undefeated warriors clash for the throne of the Middleweight division as Paulo Costa (13-0 11 KOs) looks to dethrone champion Israel Adesanya (19-0 14 KOs).

The two have been sharing insults towards one another for nearly a year as Adesanya made his way up the ranks and captured the title from Robert Whittaker back in 2019 at UFC 243. Costa, who is a hulking figure, says Izzy is too skinny to withstand his power and will break in their match.

The champion points out that Costa has short arms, and his accuracy, striking, and overall skill set will be too much for the Brazilian to handle. Both fighters come in with their own hype as both are undefeated; both have had excellent performances against top-caliber fighters, and both bring something different to the table for fans to enjoy.

Costa, who does bring in the looks of an amateur bodybuilder, is an aggressive, strong, striking fighter. Despite his muscles, he prefers to push forward, stay in his opponents’ face, and overwhelm them with shots to the body and head. He hasn’t shown if he can go a full five rounds as this is his first main event, but he often doesn’t make it to the last bell as his opponents usually aren’t standing.

For the champion, before stepping into the octagon, Adesanya was a world-class kickboxing champion with a record or 75-5 29 KOs. He was also 5-1 in pro boxing. Add those with his 19 pro MMA fights, and this man has been in over 100 professional fights. He has a confidence that no one can show him anything he hasn’t seen before in the standup department. The timing, range, accuracy, and all-around skill set give Izzy the swagger to make it known from his first day in the promotion that he was on a different level than everyone else.

His entrances are elaborate, his post-fight interviews are his time to say “I told you so,” but when the bell rings, Adesanya is one of the most challenging puzzles to figure out. He is a counter puncher by nature, utilizing movement and angles to find his openings to explode on you. He has shown to have a good chin and the heart of a lion. Will that be enough for him to retain his crown?

Styles make fights, and these two have styles that are sure to entertain. Costa will move forward, looking to cut Izzy off and unload his power with body shots to slow the champ’s movement down. Adesanya will look to counter and expose any openings or mistakes Costa makes. He will use his precision striking to hurt and back his opponent off him, letting him know he’s in for a fight. The bad blood, the undefeated records, the title up for grabs, these two warriors should give us a battle to remember.

In the nights co-main event, there will be a new title-holder at 205lbs.

Since 2011, there have only been two men crowned Light Heavyweight champion: Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Saturday night, we will add a third name as Dominick Reyes (12-1 7 KOs), and Jan Blachowicz (26-8 7 KOs 9 SUBs) will do battle for the vacant title. Jones vacated the belt earlier this year when it seemed he and the UFC had contract disputes. Then it was said Jones was moving up to Heavyweight.

Now we will see who the new king of division will be. Reyes, who came close to defeating Jones, gets another crack at gold to show that he truly is the next big thing at 205. At the same time, Blachowicz has moved his way up the ranks by winning 3 in a row, with two of them ending in devastating knockout fashion.

While some might say, the winner didn’t beat the champion, you can only fight who’s in front of you, and whoever comes out victorious will go down as a true champion. Due to Jones’ departure, new life has come back to the promotion’s famed division. Both men have punching power, so look for someone’s lights to be turned out in the one.

UFC 253 will surely be a fun event to watch with some entertaining matchups and possible movement onto bigger and better things for the winners. Be sure to check out franchisesportsmedia.com for all your latest in MMA, Las Vegas sports news, events, previews and recaps.

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-Kalani Lua – Franchise Sports Media

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