Undefeated Adesanya retained his middleweight title in dominant fashion with a second-round TKO win against Costa on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.

The pair exchanged barbs in the build-up to their UFC 253 headliner, with Costa pulling out a white belt and tossing it at Adesanya at the stardeown as a way of mocking the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s perceived lack of grappling skills.

The Brazilian had also shared a mock-up image of himself of himself holding the decapitated head of his rival. 

Costa, who suffered his first defeat, was left to rue his provocative gesture after being clinically dispatched by Adesanya, who rubbed salt into the wounds by “air humping” the Brazilian as he lay crumpled on the canvas.

Given the lack of respect shown by Costa, Adesanya believes his rival had been let off lightly.

He tweeted: “Imagine if I was taunting as much as Costa after all that shit he was talking… The amount of shit I would cop from the internets hahaha.

“I’m still in the air, I ain’t even started yet. He had all the preflight. I’m gonna go in on his ass… oh wait.”