• Israel Adesanya kicks Paulo Costa during their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Israel Adesanya kicks Paulo Costa during their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • UFC President Dana White places the championship belt on Israel Adesanya after defeating Paulo Costa in their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    UFC President Dana White places the championship belt on Israel Adesanya after defeating Paulo Costa in their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Israel Adesanya lands a kick to the head of Paulo Costa during their middleweight title fight at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC c
    Israel Adesanya lands a kick to the head of Paulo Costa during their middleweight title fight at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC c
  • Paulo Costa punches Israel Adesanya during their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Paulo Costa punches Israel Adesanya during their middleweight title bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Jan Blachowicz of Poland celebrates after defeating Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC v
    Jan Blachowicz of Poland celebrates after defeating Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC v
  • Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Sijara Eubanks punches Ketlen Vieira in their women's bantamweight bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Sijara Eubanks punches Ketlen Vieira in their women's bantamweight bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Ketlen Vieira punches Sijara Eubanks in their women's bantamweight bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Ketlen Vieira punches Sijara Eubanks in their women's bantamweight bout at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Hakeem Dawodu punches Zubaira Tukhugov in their featherweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Hakeem Dawodu punches Zubaira Tukhugov in their featherweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Zubaira Tukhugov punches Hakeem Dawodu in their featherweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Zubaira Tukhugov punches Hakeem Dawodu in their featherweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Brandon Royval kicks Kai Kara France in their flyweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Brandon Royval kicks Kai Kara France in their flyweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Kai Kara France punches Brandon Royval in their flyweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Kai Kara France punches Brandon Royval in their flyweight bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Jan Blachowicz punches Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Jan Blachowicz punches Dominick Reyes in their light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Dominick Reyes punches Jan Blachowicz in their light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Dominick Reyes punches Jan Blachowicz in their light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov corners Zubaira Tukhugov of Russia inside Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Khabib Nurmagomedov corners Zubaira Tukhugov of Russia inside Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Hakeem Dawodu of Canada reacts after defeating Zubaira Tukhugov of Russia in their featherweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Hakeem Dawodu of Canada reacts after defeating Zubaira Tukhugov of Russia in their featherweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Sijara Eubanks kicks Ketlen Vieira of Brazil in their women's bantamweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Sijara Eubanks kicks Ketlen Vieira of Brazil in their women's bantamweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Ketlen Vieira of Brazil after defeating Sijara Eubanks in their women's bantamweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Ketlen Vieira of Brazil after defeating Sijara Eubanks in their women's bantamweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Brandon Royval attempts to submit Kai Kara France of New Zealand in their flyweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Brandon Royval attempts to submit Kai Kara France of New Zealand in their flyweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
  • Brandon Royval reacts after submitting Kai Kara France of New Zealand in their flyweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
    Brandon Royval reacts after submitting Kai Kara France of New Zealand in their flyweight bout. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC

Other Sport

UFC 253: Fight Island returns to Abu Dhabi - in pictures

Second edition of the series gets underway on Yas Island

The National

September 27, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

The second edition of UFC Fight Island got underway in Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning with an action-packed UFC 253.

Israel Adesanya's middleweight title fight with Paulo Costa topped the bill, with the light heavyweight title contest between Dominick Reyes and Jan Błachowicz the co-main event on Yas Island.

For some of the best pictures from UFC 253, browse through the photo gallery above. To move on to the next picture, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

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