According to multiple sources, the UFC Middleweight championship fight between New Zealand's Israel Adesanya and Brazilian prospect Paulo Costa has been scheduled for September 19 at UFC 253.

The announcement was originally leaked on the Brazilian sports website Combate but has since been confirmed by many people close to the UFC, including Paulo Costa himself and ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

UFC 253 is currently scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, though the event venue has not been finalised. Adesanya vs Costa will be the second time in UFC history that two undefeated fighters compete for a championship belt.

The two would have faced off earlier this year, but Costa sustained an injury in his three-round war with Yoel Romero in August 2019. Costa has not competed since that fight, but has been engaged in a Twitter beef with Adesanya almost constantly since.

The animosity between the two began long ago, but became more fiery after Adesanya's decisive knockout of reigning divisional champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019. Following his stunning victory, Adesanya mocked and jeered at Costa, who was cageside at the event.

In judging their verbal jousting, it seems clear that Adesanya has taken the W in this arena so far. Stylebender is a far more adept meme-maker and smack-talker than Costa, language barrier notwithstanding. Each attempt by Costa to rattle Adesanya's cage sees the champion laugh it off, whereas Stylebender's barbs seem to enrage the Brazilian whenever he reacts to them.

When the two finally do meet in the UFC Octagon, it is a stylistic matchup that makes many fans drool in anticipation. Costa is a heavily-muscled, aggressive powerhouse, in addition to boasting a BJJ black belt. He is undefeated in professional MMA, with a 13-0 record.

Of these 13 wins, only one has come by decision: his three-round slugfest with Cuban Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero. The other 12 victories comprise one submission and 11 knockouts, none of which made it past the second round.

Known for his aggressive style, Costa is likely to come forward hard at Adesanya and try to take him out.

In comparison, Adesanya is an elite striker, who has made leaps and bounds in his ground game after bursting onto the MMA scene in 2012. Since then, he has racked up a 19-0 professional MMA record, capturing the UFC Middleweight belt in the process.

Before his MMA career, Adesanya was a decorated kickboxer, being a three-time King in the Ring champion in two weight classes, as well as competing for the Glory Kickboxing Middleweight championship. As such, it seems unlikely that he will not have an answer to the aggressive striking style of Costa.

The fight is a championship fight, and as such, will take place over five rounds. Adesanya has proved on three occasions in the UFC that he has the gas tank to perform over 25 minutes, whereas the same cannot be said for Costa, whose longest UFC fight was 15 minutes versus Yoel Romero.

As this fight approaches, it will doubtless be entertaining to watch the two engage in further antagonism towards each other.