UFC: Paulo Costa Guarantees He Will ‘Erase’ Israel Adesanya
Paulo Costa is set to challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight strap at UFC 253 on September 26th. Both fighters are currently undefeated in the Octagon and in their MMA careers.
Not only is this only the second time two undefeated athletes have fought for a UFC belt, but this contest will also settle one of the most intense rivalries in modern MMA. This title fight has no lack of bad blood; both fighters have gone back and forth on social media, with Adesanya even accusing Costa of taking performance enhancing drugs.
“He Knows Already He’s In trouble”
Costa spoke to Submission Radio (as transcribed by TheMacLife) about his ‘beef’ with ‘The Stylebender’, stating that he has the advantage when it comes to the mental aspect of the fight.
“I think I messed with his mind. But not because I just talked with him in the same interview on the same Facetime, just because of my persona as a fighter messed with his head,” Costa said. “He knows already he’s in trouble. How I can damage him, how I can hit him badly. So, that’s why I think I messed with his mind. I’m not worried about him. He’s good, he’s fast, quick. But I know also he cannot damage me. He cannot inflict a lot of damage on me because I’m stronger than him, and he’s not the kind of guy who comes with a hard punch, just counter punches. So, I’m not worried about him for this fight. But he’s a bunch messed up in his mind for this fight.”
Costa also explained his training methods, describing his fight preparations as hard sessions in which he replicates the intensity of a real bout. ‘Borrachinha’ is confident that such a tough regime will prepare him for the demands of his upcoming ‘real fight’.
“I Will Erase Him”
The Brazilian also states that Adesanya will be unable to handle his power advantage, alluding to the champion’s knockout loss to Alex Pereira to support his claims.
“I like to think of myself like a real tough guy,” Costa said. “Maybe the toughest guy on the planet. Because I train very hard, with two, three guys at the same session training, with very hard hits, very hard punches, very hard kicks for real. 100 percent, I mean. Not just fake, just shadowboxing. No. So, this makes me very prepared to fight in real fights with real opponents like Romero. I am not afraid to get hit, because I did this already in my fight camp for two or three months So, I’m properly prepared to make it a real fight.
“So, that’s the difference I think I have between me and Adesanya. He’s fragile. He knows that. He knows he’s fragile. He knows he cannot get two or three very hard hits on his face, on his body. He will be broken. He knows that already because he knocked out two times, with big gloves in kickboxing to a guy named Alex Pereira with big gloves, 14 or 16oz gloves. Imagine what I can do with him, with his skinny, fragile body with 4oz on my hands.
“I will erase him. I definitely will erase him,” Costa stated. “Prepare to be erased, Adesanya.”
Adesanya, however, is no stranger to opponents with devastating knockout power. The Nigerian-born New Zealander most recently faced two hard-hitting middleweights in Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker at UFC 248 and UFC 243 respectively. Nonetheless, Costa believes that he will be the one to dethrone the undefeated champion.
Whether ‘The Eraser’ honours his moniker or Adesanya delivers a striking clinic will be determined in the near future. What holds true is that regardless of the result, this fight promises to be a fan-friendly affair that will remain in the MMA records for years to come.
Do you think Paulo Costa’s power will be enough to beat Israel Adesanya?
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