Israel Adesanya holds a single victory over his key rivals in his career record. Known as “The Last Stylebender,” he has delivered a series of unforgettable performances that helped him become a two-time UFC middleweight champion. Adesanya dominated the 185-pound division for years, defending his title five times until he encountered Alex Pereira, and is considered one of the best fighters ever.
After losing his championship to Poatan, Adesanya avenged that defeat against Pereira in 2023 with a devastating knockout. Although many expected this victory to be his most gratifying due to the intense kickboxing and MMA rivalry, Adesanya treasures another decisive win even more.
Following his knockout of Robert Whittaker to unify the middleweight belts, Adesanya began his reign as the undisputed champion with a less impressive decision win over Yoel Romero. But he soon returned to spectacular finishes, notably demolishing Paulo Costa in just two rounds at “Fight Island” in September 2020. In a recent Q&A at Banta Omega Thai & Mixed Martial Arts, Adesanya revealed that the Costa fight stands out as his “most satisfying” Octagon victory.
“Against Costa, my performance was flawless. I took no damage while inflicting all the harm – that was technically my cleanest fight,” he said. Although the trilogy win over Poitan was highly satisfying due to the longstanding rivalry, Adesanya described the Costa bout as particularly gratifying.
Meanwhile, Paulo Costa has struggled since losing to Adesanya in 2020, dropping three of his last five fights, including losses to Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland. After a rebound win against Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 in July 2025, Costa was set to face Bruno Ferreira at UFC 326 but withdrew for undisclosed reasons. This setback leaves fans uncertain about his immediate future in the middleweight division.
Fan Take: Adesanya’s emphasis on the technical mastery over Costa underscores the importance of skill and precision in MMA, not just brute force. For fight fans, this highlights how evolving strategies can shape legacies and keeps the middleweight division thrilling to watch.
