So much for Fight of the Year... it was Domination of the Year!': UFC president Dana White blasts Paulo Costa for 'weird' performance in demolition by Israel Adesanya

UFC president Dana White was baffled by Paulo Costa's against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, branding it 'Domination of the Year'. 

The powerful Brazilian challenger was only a narrow underdog with the bookies but hardly landed a strike as the champion picked him apart, finishing the fight with a second-round TKO. 

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Adesanya looked sensational and delivered one of his best performances but Costa appeared lost and was made to look amateurish. 

Paulo Costa was torn apart by Israel Adesanya

Dana White was not happy with Costa's display

Israel Adesanya picked his challenger apart and the Brazilian hardly landed a shot

White had anticipated a far closer, more competitive encounter for the middleweight title and did not hold back in his criticism. 

He said: 'So much for ‘Fight of the Year’ – it was ‘Domination of the Year'.

'It was weird because if you look at every other fight that Costa has had, he comes out and goes after people like they owe him money.

'I think he landed one jab in this fight. He didn’t try to clinch on the fence, didn’t try to put pressure, kept going back to the centre of the octagon. It was very weird.

  

Costa suffered a second-round TKO defeat by the dominant middleweight champion

The UFC boss believed Costa, who was previously unbeaten as a professional, would rely on his power and output but the 29-year-old appeared reluctant to pull the trigger.  

'If he fought the way he fights – I mean look at the way he fought Yoel Romero, one