Someone's 0 had to go.
We just didn't expect it to happen that easily.
In one of the most highly-anticipated fights in UFC middleweight history, Israel Adesanya silenced all his critics by putting forward arguably the most dominant display by a champion that we've ever seen.
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The Kiwi sensation put on an absolute clinic to crush Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa in less than 10 minutes at UFC 253 on Fight Island.
Even with Costa's relentless taunting from the outset, the 185-pound king kept his composure with his elite striking and sent a message to the rest of the division - and the entire UFC roster for that matter.
But if you've followed the back and fourths between Costa and Adesanya, you'd know that this fight had some bad blood.
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In the build up to the grudge bout, both men had no issue in firing shots at one another via social media.
Their stare down in Abu Dhabi alone shattered all existing social media records in the UFC.
But it was one talking point in particular which saw Adesanya cop a barrage of abuse from his Brazilian counterpart for weeks on end.
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In early August, months before their showdown at UFC 253, Adesanya took to social media to show fans his bright pink dyed hair.
His own followers appeared to get around the interesting look - after all, he is a UFC champion.
But the same couldn't be said for his upcoming opponent Costa.
The undefeated Brazilian wasted no time in letting the New Zealander know that he wasn't a fan of his new look.
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The comments added more fuel to their already-fiery rivalry - not that Adesanya cared, though.
Ahead of his title defence at UFC 253, many fans were expecting the middleweight champ to walk out with the same pink hair only for Adesanya to revert back to his no-nonsense shaved head.
But in the press conference after the fight, he revealed exactly why he chose to scap the pink look - and it had nothing to do with Costa's opinions.
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"It was my dad," Adesanya said.
"He said I'm going to blind him with my jab and when he's compromised in one eye and I take the other eye out, if he sees a pink hue, he'll still know where my head is.
"He'll know that's where my head is, and he'll just aim for the pink hue. So I was like, 'You're right.' And like a good boy, I listened to my dad. He's a smart man."
31-year-old Adesanya looks set to fight rising middleweight star Jared Cannonier should he come out on top in his bout with former Australian champion Robert Whittaker.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: UFC 253, UFC, Australia, MMA, Israel Adesanya
