Fight fans have been waiting to hear the date for Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa and it’s finally been revealed. Adesanya vs. Costa is a lock for UFC 253 on Sept. 19. Adesanya is the UFC middleweight title holder, so this will be a championship fight.
Costa was supposed to receive the 185-pound title opportunity back in March. That plan changed as Costa was still recovering from surgery and UFC president Dana White didn’t want to rush things. Adesanya ended up successfully defending his UFC middleweight championship via unanimous decision over Yoel Romero.
There has been bad blood brewing between Adesanya and Costa. Following his undisputed title win over Robert Whittaker back in Oct. 2019, Adesanya called Costa an “overly inflated balloon animal,” insinuating that “Borrachinha” is on performance-enhancing drugs. Costa has expressed his belief that Adesanya is cocky and needs to be humbled.
To this point, Adesanya has a perfect pro MMA record of 19-0. He’s beaten the likes of Romero, Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum, and Anderson Silva. As for Costa, his record is also perfect at 13-0. He’s beaten notable names such as Romero, Uriah Hall, and former UFC welterweight champion Johnny Hendricks.
MMA News will continue to provide more information on the UFC 253 card as those details become available. That includes a location, venue, and the match card.
Who is your early pick for the UFC middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa?
