On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 253, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will attempt to defend his title against his fiercest challenger yet, Paulo Costa.
On Wednesday, Adesanya and Costa came face-to-face for a pre-fight staredown, and as expected, it was quite tense. See it below:
In addition to this Adesanya vs. Costa grudge match, UFC 253 will also feature a second championship bout as Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz collide for the vacant light heavyweight title in the co-main event. They also squared off on Wednesday, and if possible, there staredown was even more intense. See it below:
Israel Adesanya last fought at UFC 248 in March, when he defended the UFC middleweight title with a decision victory over Yoel Romero. He captured the division’s crown in October of 2019, when he knocked out Robert Whittaker. That victory was preceded by an interim title-winning decision triumph over Kelvin Gastelum and big wins over Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. The champ is 19-0 overall.
Paulo Costa, on the other hand, has not fought since August, 2019, when he picked up his own decision victory over Yoel Romero. Other highlights of his resume include wins over Uriah Hall and Johny Hendricks. Like Adesanya, he’s unbeaten, boasting a 13-0 overall record.
Who do you think will come out on top when these two Adesanya and Costa collide on Fight Island this Saturday?