By Albert Akota
Minister of Youth and Sports in Nigeria Sunday Dare has congratulated Israel Adesanya following his successful UFC middleweight title defence against Brazilian Paulo Costa on Saturday night.
Adesanya knocked out bitter rival Costa in round two to retain his title.
The fight which took place in Abu Dhabi saw Adesanya pick apart his far bigger opponent before landing brutal ground strikes.
Costa was left bloodied and bruised on the canvas, with his undefeated record coming to an end.
And reacting to Adesanya’s win, Dare wrote on his verified Twitter handle: “UFC- Isreal Adesanya wins again. Second round knockout! Middle Weight Champion of the World! Nigeria in the podium again. Shout out to Lagos!”
The Sports Minister also congratulated Nigeria’s Hakeem Dawodu who secured his fifth consecutive win after overcoming Zubaira Tukhugov.
Fighting in the featherweight category, Dawodu showcased a diverse striking arsenal, good conditioning and solid takedown defense to better Tukhugov by split decision in the kickoff fight for the pay-per-view main card on Saturday night.
After three rounds, the judges scored the fight 30-27 and 29-28 for Dawodu while the third official gave it to Tukhogov with a 29-28 score in his favor.
“UFC- I also congratulate and celebrate Hakeem Dawodu. Another Nigerian who won his fight this morning before Isreal.”
Many other fans across the world have also been hailing Adesanya with many admitting they never expected an easy win for the Nigerian who now has 20 wins in 20 fights.
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