Israel Adesanya Calls UFC 253 Win Over Paulo Costa His Most ‘Perfect’ Performance

The former middleweight champion shared the assessment during a public Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA.

Overview

Speaking at a Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Q&A, Adesanya described the Paulo Costa bout as his cleanest work.
He said he “took zero damage and did all the damage,” framing the display as the closest he has come to perfect.
The fight took place at UFC 253 on Fight Island in September 2020 and ended in a second-round TKO of the then-undefeated Costa.
He contrasted that choice with his Alex Pereira rivalry, acknowledging the satisfaction of his UFC 287 knockout after the UFC 281 loss.
His remarks were first reported by MMA Junkie and republished by outlets including Yahoo Sports, BJPenn.com, and LowKickMMA.