While the two have shared a competitive rivalry in the past, dating back to last July when the both emerged victorious from their respective bouts, the two young middleweights seemed destined to meet in a high-profile scrap down the rad.
However, since then, Adesanya climbed aboard a rocket ship and propelled himself up the middleweight rankings. This meteoric rise culminated with “The Last Stylebender” claiming the UFC interim middleweight title with a hard fought win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236. On the other side, Costa has yet to return to the Octagon since his win over Uriah Hall at UFC 226.