Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 253: Adesanya vs Costa
MiddleweightTITLE FIGHT5 rounds scheduled
WIN
Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya
“The Last Stylebender”
24-6-0
RESULT

Israel Adesanya def. Paulo Costa (TKO)

TKO · Round 2 · 3:59
Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa
“The Eraser”
16-4-0
Saturday, September 26, 2020
UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa by TKO in round 2 (3:59) in the Middleweight title main event of UFC 253: Adesanya vs Costa, held Saturday, September 26, 2020 at UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.

Fight stats

Israel Adesanya
Paulo Costa
1
Knockdowns
0
55 of 84
Significant strikes
12 of 26
65%
Sig. strike accuracy
46%
55 of 84
Total strikes
12 of 26
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
—
Takedown accuracy
—
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:09
Control time
0:01
Significant strikes by target
24 of 51
Head
2 of 13
5 of 6
Body
7 of 8
26 of 27
Leg
3 of 5
45 of 71
Distance
12 of 26
2 of 3
Clinch
0 of 0
8 of 10
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
22 of 37
Sig. str.
7 of 11
22 of 37
Total str.
7 of 11
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:01
ROUND 2
1
KD
0
33 of 47
Sig. str.
5 of 15
33 of 47
Total str.
5 of 15
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:09
Ctrl
0:00
Referee
Jason Herzog
Time format
5 Rnd (5-5-5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Tale of the Tape

24-6-0
Record
16-4-0
0
Win Streak
2
36
Age
35
6'4"
Height
6'1"
80"
Reach
72"
—
Stance
—
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
—
Nationality
—

Striking Profile

4.03
SLpM
6.15
48%
Str. Acc.
59%
3.22
SApM
5.96
—
Str. Def.
—

Grappling Profile

0.05
TD Avg.
0.30
9%
TD Acc.
42%
76%
TD Def.
77%
—
Sub. Avg.
—

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Israel Adesanya · 1-4
  • L
    Joe Pyfer
    UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs PyferSat, Mar 28, 2026
    TKO · R2 · 4:18 · Middleweight
  • L
    Nassourdine Imavov
    UFC Saudi Arabia: Adesanya vs ImavovSat, Feb 1, 2025
    TKO · R2 · 0:30 · Middleweight
  • L
    Dricus Du Plessis
    UFC 305: Du Plessis vs AdesanyaSat, Aug 17, 2024
    Submission · R4 · 3:38 · Middleweight
  • L
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 293: Adesanya vs StricklandSat, Sep 9, 2023
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Alex Pereira
    UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2Sat, Apr 8, 2023
    TKO · R2 · 4:21 · Middleweight
Paulo Costa · 3-2
  • W
    Azamat Murzakanov
    UFC 327: Procházka vs UlbergSat, Apr 11, 2026
    TKO · R3 · 1:23 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Roman Kopylov
    UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3Sat, Jul 19, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 302: Makhachev vs PoirierSat, Jun 1, 2024
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Whittaker
    UFC 298: Volkanovski vs TopuriaSat, Feb 17, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Luke Rockhold
    UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2Sat, Aug 20, 2022
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 19 fights · 12 fights
69.1
Avg sig. strikes
77.8
0.05
Avg takedowns
0.25
0:32
Avg control time
0:42
119
Career high strikes
163
1
Career high TDs
2

Strike Distribution

Israel Adesanya
Strike target
Paulo Costa
49%
Head
45%
21%
Body
41%
30%
Leg
14%
Israel Adesanya
Strike position
Paulo Costa
92%
Distance
88%
5%
Clinch
5%
3%
Ground
6%