The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s second residency at “Fight Island” got off to an explosive start, as UFC 253’s title doubleheader gave us two eye-popping finishes. One of the championship fights featured a significant upset while the other did not, but we learned that it is equally possible to make a big impression while hearing “and still” or “and new.” Here are some fighters who helped—or hurt—their stock on Saturday.
Israel Adesanya: With his second-round dismantling of Paulo Costa, “The Last Stylebender” became just the fourth man to defend the UFC middleweight belt more than once, joining Anderson Silva (10), Chris Weidman (3) and Rich Franklin (2).