Israel Adesanya has called out Jared Cannonier as his next opponent, after he knocked out Brazilian Paulo Costa in the second round on Sunday, to retain his UFC middleweight title in Abu Dhabi.
The win was his 20th professional MMA victory, with the UFC star yet to taste defeat.
Adesanya delivered a perfect display on Fight Island, to retain his UFC middleweight title for the second time.
‘The Last Stylebender’ picked apart his far bigger opponent, before landing brutal ground strikes in the second round.
Costa was left bloodied and bruised on the canvas, as his undefeated record was ended, and he needed medical attention afterwards.
Adesanya said: “I said it before, Anderson Silver left a huge legacy in this division and I said I wanted to do service to the middleweight division and that’s a tough act to follow, but we’re doing the work,” he said after the fight
“I already messaged Jared Cannonier, he is a hell of a dude. I love his energy, I said, you destroyed Robert Whittaker, you are next. He’s the one I want to fight next.”