Last Chance For Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa To Remain Relevant Over Five Years After UFC 253 Title Clash

After five defenses, Adesanya met his first true test in Alex Pereira. The two men had an epic war, but it would be Pereira, “Poatan,” who emerged victorious, as his punching power proved too much.

That began a 1-4 stretch for Adesanya that stood in stark contrast to the dominance of old. While he did regain the title in a rematch, Adesanya dropped it in an all-time upset against Sean Strickland. Adesanya took an 11-month hiatus after that, then returned to challenge Dricus Du Plessis and was submitted. Another submission loss, this time to surging contender Nassourdine Imavov, was Adesanya’s only fight of 2025.

Pyfer, Adesanya’s next opponent, is no slouch. Signed via Dana White’s Contenders Series, “Bodybagz” is a wrecking machine, having gone to the scorecards only thrice in his entire career. In his last fight, he overcame a slow first round to drop Abuspiyan Magomedov, then end him with a face crank.

Now, Pyfer is looking for the biggest win of his career against a former champion. With middleweight seeing new contenders built seemingly overnight, Adesanya has a chance to prove that he is still among the best to ever grace the Octagon.

Paulo Costa: A Brave New World

Meanwhile, this will not be the first time Costa has fought as a light heavyweight. That came against Marvin Vettori, who was himself coming off a failed attempt to unseat Adesanya, but it was marred by circumstance. Costa struggled during his weight cut, necessitating a change in class, which contributed to a listless performance in his loss. Thus, the fight against Murzakanov will be the first time he willingly joins the 205-lb division.

Having gone 2-2 in his last four, Costa will have his work cut out for him, as Murzakanov boasts 12 knockouts in 16 wins. In the Octagon alone, “The Professional” has beaten Dustin Jacoby and Aleksandar Rakic, and a former title challenger like Costa will be the crown jewel of his highlight reel.

Still, for all his faults, Costa is surprisingly very durable, as the fight against Adesanya remains the only stoppage loss of his career. If Costa can overcome the early onslaught – something that has been refined by experience – maybe he will have a chance to stage a comeback.

End Of My Israel Adesanya-Paulo Costa Rant

Once upon a time, people thought Adesanya vs. Costa would become the rivalry that would define the UFC in the 2020s. Their respective looks and fighting styles perfectly complemented each other, and they had the confidence to match. They could have translated their rivalry into a trilogy, but sometimes fate intervenes, and it did here.

While their paths diverged from then, the memories and thoughts remained. Now, more than five years later, they converge again, though not in the way that many would expect…