Costa clubs Hendricks with barrage of strikes for 2nd-round TKO

New handle, same fighter.

In his first fight since ditching the nickname "Borrachinha" in favor of his given name, Paulo Costa reminded Johny Hendricks he wasn't a real middleweight with a typhoon of strikes that earned him a second-round TKO in the main-card opener of Saturday's UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden.

The stoppage improved the surging Brazilian's promotional and professional records to 3-0 and 11-0, respectively, with every one of those victories coming inside the distance. Costa mustered the gall to call out fellow knockout artist Derek Brunson postfight, a challenge the Strikeforce alum promptly dismissed while accusing Costa of indulging in performance-enhancing substances.

With the exception of a few combinations Hendricks landed in the first round, Costa didn't relinquish the reins in what had been billed as the stiffest test of his still embryonic career, fearlessly walking Hendricks down and repeatedly finding success with blistering kicks to the southpaw's body.

Hendricks kept his composure as Costa picked him apart to make it to Round 2, only for the Brazilian to wobble him with a head kick and treat his efforts to weather the storm with more leather until referee John McCarthy stepped in for the save at the 1:23 mark.

The 34-year-old Hendricks' miserable fall from grace continues, as he's now lost seven of his last 10 including two straight by second-round stoppage after outpointing Hector Lombard in his middleweight debut this past February.