5 biggest takeaways from UFC 243: Israel Adesanya's perfect night, why Paulo Costa is the perfect fight

What mattered most at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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1. Israel Adesanya’s perfect night

When it comes to delivering in a big spot, Israel Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) did about as well as anyone with a star-making performance to become undisputed UFC middleweight champion.

Adesanya handled everything from the start of fight week to its end with a stunning level of perfection. He said the right things in the media pre-fight, had a walkout for the ages, fought almost perfectly to dethrone Robert Whittaker in front of a record crowd and effectively garnered interest in his first title defense, likely to come against Paulo Costa.

It was A+ work all around from “The Last Stylebender,” and for someone who made his UFC debut less than two years ago, Adesanya’s rise has been something special to watch. There’s nothing but difficult fights ahead for him, though, and with the belt now in his possession, it remains to be seen how many more times Adesanya can achieve perfection.