Israel Adesanya is set to make his UFC return in Abu Dhabi with a rematch against Paulo Costa in the works for UFC 321 on October 25, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Nigerian-New Zealander knocked Costa out at UFC 253 back in September 2020, with a rematch now reportedly targeted for later this year in what promises to be a compelling middleweight contest.
According to UFC media, @OctagonPulse, the middleweight rematch is just in the works, with no official confirmation from UFC President Dana White that the fight has actually been signed.
If Adesanya vs. Costa II is officially confirmed, it is expected to feature on the UFC 321 main card, potentially serving as the co-main event alongside Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at the Etihad Arena.
Given that he won the first fight almost five years ago via emphatic knockout in the second round, ‘The Last Stylebender’ will likely be listed as a relatively heavy pre-fight favourite to beat the Brazilian for a second time.
However, Adesanya hasn’t won inside the octagon since UFC 287, when he knocked out Alex Pereira to reclaim the 185-pound belt, but has since lost three consecutive fights.
Costa, on the other hand, looked impressive in July with a unanimous decision victory over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318.
Adesanya’s record remains impressively decorated, despite losing his last three contests. Prior to his losing run, Adesanya won seven middleweight title fights during his tenure as champion.
This included wins over two-division champion Alex Pereira, Robert Whittaker twice and Yoel Romero. The 35-year-old also boasts victories over Anderson Silva, who is widely recognised as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, and Kelvin Gastelum.
Despite his poor run of form over the past three fights, on his day, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is capable of beating anybody.
Adesanya is currently ranked as the number four contender at middleweight, with Costa down in 12th. With Khamzat Chimaev now the new middleweight champion, a win here for Adesanya could throw him right back into the title hunt.
Official confirmation on the Adesanya vs Costa rematch is expected in the coming weeks, with UFC 321 targeted for their second dance on October 25 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.