Israel Adesanya and the Real Winners and Losers from UFC 263

Flyweights Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno ran it back for Figueiredo's 125-pound belt after fighting to a draw six months ago in Las Vegas.And the 36-year-old Diaz, who celebrated Arizona's adoption of the UFC's rules on marijuana use by smoking a joint during a Thursday press conference, was back in the Octagon for the first time since 2019 against third-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards.Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Paul Felder were on the cageside microphones for ESPN, while Megan Olivi worked the rest of the room on features and breaking news, and Din Thomas offered technical analysis.The B/R combat sports team was in its winners and losers position as well, putting together the authoritative list of both from a show that began shortly after 6 p.m. ET and ended after 1 a.m.Click through to see how we saw it, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.Whaddya know? Middleweight Israel Adesanya is still middleweight Israel Adesanya.Though he was foiled for the first time in his career when he challenged UFC light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz three months ago in Las Vegas, Adesanya remains unbeatable at 185 pounds.The New Zealand-based titleholder made his second encounter with Italian contender Marvin Vettori far less competitive than the first one three years ago, picking the challenger apart with strikes and evading danger when matters went to the ground and earning a unanimous decision in their title-belt rematch.All three judges gave Adesanya all five rounds, calling it a 50-45 shutout."Not surprised at all," he said. The first handful of attempts were successfully fought off before the decisive sequence.The two had battled to a five-round draw six months ago after both men had fought 21 days earlier.Figueiredo embraced the new champion again after the official announcement and lifted him in the air as the volume from a pro-Moreno crowd reached a crescendo."Tijuana," Anik said, "you have a champion."Nate Diaz almost pulled it off.Almost.The 36-year-old was beaten from corner to corner for about 24 minutes of a 25-minute clash with elite welterweight contender Leon Edwards and then landed a straight left hand on the back end of a one-two combination that almost set the octagonal world spinning in another direction.As blood poured from gashes on the right side of his head, over his left eye and alongside his left ear, Diaz pursued as Edwards reeled backward and sideways around the cage. "Nate was looking like a horror movie just wandering toward [Edwards]."It looks like he was hit by a machete."It's been a difficult time for squeamish types.Seven weeks after Chris Weidman's shattered shin at UFC 261 and just four weeks past Ronaldo Souza's snapped arm at UFC 262, Jamahal Hill's number came up on the serious injury roulette wheel.The previously unbeaten light heavyweight had his left elbow mangled by Scottish jiu-jitsu ace Paul Craig, and it flailed sickeningly as he was pelted by strikes until referee Al Guinee finally intervened to cement the TKO win at 1:59 of the first round.A significant betting underdog, per UFC.com, Craig arrived at the Octagon suggesting he'd test his younger foe's jiu-jitsu chops and voluntarily took the fight to the floor on his back.He had Hill's right arm tied up during a scramble, and, as Hill maneuvered to escape, he seized upon the left. Craig was roundly booed by the Arizona crowd on his approach to the cage from the locker room.He entered the fight ranked 14th at 205 pounds, a slot ahead of Hill at No. 15."If I didn't have you on the walk in," he said, "I hope I have you on the walk out."Every indication was that it'd be a barnburner.And the bout between lightweights Drew Dober and Brad Riddell in the final slot before the pay-per-view broadcast did nothing to disappoint.The Colorado-based Dober and his foe from New Zealand swapped hard punches, precise kicks and intermittent takedowns throughout their 15-minute encounter before Riddell was awarded a decision win.All three judges gave him a narrow 29-28 nod."The grit and toughness of these guys, amazing," Felder said."This was a huge fight for them at lightweight. I could tell he would be tough to finish."I'm more of a muscle car, not a Ferrari."So you think you don't/didn't like school, huh?Try the education Chase Hooper's been experiencing lately.The 21-year-old from Washington was one of the UFC's hottest prospects after he appeared on Dana White's Contender Series as a teenager and ran his pro record to 9-0-1 after he won his octagonal debut in 2019.But it's not gone so well since.The Dream was handed his first pro loss by 28-fight veteran Alex Caceres one year ago and then had to rally for a third-round submission against Peter Barrett in December before dropping another decision to another 28-fight foe—this time rugged featherweight Steven Peterson—on Saturday's early preliminary card.All three judges saw it for Peterson, two by 30-27 counts and a third by a 29-28 tally.Still, the winner had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse after weighing 2.5 pounds over the contracted weight of 146.