UFC 253 Results: Adesanya vs. Costa

UFC 253 returned to the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for two championship bouts. Broadcast on September 26, 2020, in the United States and held early September 27 locally, the card featured Israel Adesanya’s middleweight defense against Paulo Costa and Jan Blachowicz against Dominick Reyes for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Adesanya dismantles Costa’s challenge

Adesanya used range, feints and repeated low kicks to disrupt Costa before the challenger could establish consistent pressure. The champion’s accuracy became increasingly important as Costa struggled to close the distance safely.

Adesanya dropped Costa in the second round and finished with ground strikes at 3:59. The TKO preserved his middleweight championship and unbeaten professional MMA record at the time. The anticipated clash of undefeated contenders became a demonstration of the champion’s ability to dictate distance and timing.

Blachowicz claims the vacant championship

Jon Jones’s departure from the light heavyweight title picture created an opening for Blachowicz and Reyes. Blachowicz attacked with heavy body kicks and punches, then stopped Reyes at 4:36 of round two.

The victory made Blachowicz the new champion. It was not a defense against the previous titleholder: the belt was vacant, and both participants were competing to begin a new reign. That distinction gives the co-main event its proper historical significance.

Royval and the rest of the card

Brandon Royval submitted Kai Kara-France after a lively flyweight exchange. Ketlen Vieira won a unanimous decision over Sijara Eubanks, and Hakeem Dawodu edged Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision.

The preliminaries included Brad Riddell’s win over Alex da Silva, Jake Matthews’s decision against Diego Sanchez and Ludovit Klein’s first-round knockout of Shane Young. William Knight and Danilo Marques won decisions, while Juan Espino finished Jeff Hughes with a scarf-hold submission. All 11 completed bouts are included below, extending the record beyond the two title changes and defenses.

Complete UFC 253 results

• Israel Adesanya def. Paulo Costa — TKO (punches and elbows), R2, 3:59; retained middleweight title.
• Jan Blachowicz def. Dominick Reyes — TKO (punches), R2, 4:36; won vacant light heavyweight title.
• Brandon Royval def. Kai Kara-France — submission (guillotine choke), R2, 0:48.
• Ketlen Vieira def. Sijara Eubanks — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Hakeem Dawodu def. Zubaira Tukhugov — split decision, R3, 5:00.
• Brad Riddell def. Alex da Silva Coelho — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Jake Matthews def. Diego Sanchez — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Ludovit Klein def. Shane Young — KO (head kick and punches), R1, 1:16.
• William Knight def. Aleksa Camur — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Juan Espino def. Jeff Hughes — submission (scarf hold), R1, 3:48.
• Danilo Marques def. Khadis Ibragimov — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC 253 official results; Sherdog: UFC 253 complete event record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 253, Mixed Martial Arts