UFC 253 in retrospect – A recap of Adesanya vs. Costa and Błachowicz vs Reyes

BY MARCEL MARIAK

In the combat sports world, there are three types of events. The first event is the one in which nothing happens; the fighters walk around lethargically, barely engage, and then go home with a sense of accomplishment while fans contemplate whether their time and money could have been better spent doing something else. The second type of event is the average one; a few fast-paced fights mixed in with slow and deliberate battles that go the distance. Finally, there is the third type of event, the one that makes fight fans lose their collective minds with its sheer awesomeness.

UFC 253 was one of those events. We hope you got to watch the performances, but in case you missed them or simply want a recap, here’s a breakdown of UFC 253!

Co-main event: Błachowicz v. Reyes
In a fight that could easily be a main event headline fight, two MMA giants went toe-to-toe over the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight belt. In one corner stood Jan Błachowicz, the 6’2″ Polish fighter was the underdog in the matchup despite having defeated several big MMA names like Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold and an impressive 26-8 record. Opposite him stood Dominick Reyes. Despite having a 1″ reach disadvantage and coming off of a loss against Jon Jones, the 6’4″ American martial artist was the favourite to win (-200). In the first round, both fighters exchanged heavy long-range strikes mostly in the form of leg kicks. In the second round, things got a bit more personal as Błachowicz and Reyes began to box and clinch heavily. With just over 20 seconds left in the second round, Błachowicz landed a stunning combo that sent the dazed Reyes falling to the canvas. Jan Błachowicz then finished the fight with a brief ground and pound until the referee stepped in. After donning his new belt, Błachowicz had very little to say in the post-fight interview. He simply called Jon Jones out for a fight and walked off the stage to begin preparing for his next conquest.

Main event: Adesanya v. Costa
The main event of the night was what put UFC 253 on the map. With the famed Israel Adesanya defending the belt against his arch-nemesis, Paulo Costa. Standing at 6’4″ (four inches taller than the challenger), with an undefeated 19-0 records, the Nigerian kickboxing champion, Israel Adesanya, was the slight favourite to win (-170). Challenging Adesanya was Paulo Costa, a Brazillian fighter with an also undefeated 13-0 record (Costa is also considered by many to be the UFC’s most handsome fighter… I can’t say I disagree). The two warriors had spent many months before the fight lobbing insults and scathing comments at each other; by the time they entered the octagon, tensions were coming to a boil. From the onset of the battle, Adesanya took the initiative by using his long frame to deliver damaging calf kicks to Costa’s lead leg. Despite Costa mocking his rival during the fight and attempting to entice him into a close-range brawl, Adesanya stuck to his game plan and managed his distance with expert precision. By the end of the first round, Costa was already moving awkwardly on his lead leg and over-reacting to Adesanya’s feints. In the second round, the champion continued to attack Costa’s visibly damaged lead leg. Eventually, Adesanya managed to program his opponent into assuming that all kicks were aimed at the lead leg. At that moment, Adesanya delivered a stunning head kick that cut his Costa, before following up with a punch that sent his opponent to the ground. Before the referee could step in and end the fight, Adesanya got a few more strikes and an intense elbow to the head of his rival. With the fight over, only four minutes onto the second round, Adesanya had successfully defended his title and undefeated record.

Despite the fight being over, the two warriors have continued their harsh trash talk over social media; with Costa saying that he will kill Adesanya the next time they meet, and the champion replying by simply posting pictures of his victory. Is the fight over between these two warriors, or have we only seen a single chapter in an upcoming saga between the two fighters? Regardless of what the future has in store, we can always look forward to seeing Israel Adesanya step into the cage.