Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz entered UFC 253 on Saturday with their share of doubters, which made what happened in the Octagon even sweeter for both men.
Adesanya had a "boring" tag hung on him by critics after a lackluster win over Yoel Romero in March. But that label didn't fit on Fight Island as Adesanya pieced up top contender Paulo Costa to retain his middleweight belt. He made it look easy.
Blachowicz, meanwhile, was a sizeable betting underdog, despite coming off a knockout of Corey Anderson and having won seven of his last eight.