UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa will headline UFC 253 on pay-per-view (PPV) in one of the most highly-anticipated title fights of the year.
Adesanya and Costa have built up a rivalry with one another over the past several months that is sure to culminate into an explosive contest when they finally meet inside the Octagon. They’ll get that opportunity on September 26 with the ultimate prize at 185 pounds on the line. Both men are undefeated in their mixed martial arts (MMA) careers and are proven finishers.
“Stylebender” has established himself as one of the most diverse and skilled strikers in the UFC at any weight class, while Costa’s pressure mixed with his ridiculous knockout power makes him extremely dangerous. Ahead of their matchup next month, both competitors took part in a side-by-side interview for ESPN, and things got heated. During the interview, Costa taunted Adesanya for his performance against Yoel Romero in March, saying he ran away the entire fight.
“I really think he has good skills,” Costa said (via MMA Fighting). “His best skill is running away, avoiding the fight. He’s very good on that. Very good when he wants to do that. I try to ask him why he just stood when he faced Romero. The only thing more disturbing than his hair was his fight against Romero.”
Adesanya fired back by discrediting Costa’s victories inside the Octagon, suggesting he has only really beat two competitors of significance in his UFC run.
“The only people he ever beat that are worthy of anything are two guys that are ranked, Uriah Hall and Romero,” Adesanya said. “Who else has he beat that’s ranked? I can list you four guys that I have. You have to understand there’s levels to this.
“Like I said, he’s dumb, but that’s what makes him dangerous as well because he’s not scared to walk forward and just throw. And he’s strong. But the same thing happens when they step in the cage with me. When they see me and they feel me, they say, “Oh my God, he’s a long stronger than I thought. Oh my Lord, he’s a lot bigger than I thought.”
“Everybody says the same thing when they’re trying to face me, so this was nothing different. The frame rate will be a lot different in this fight.”
You can check out the heated exchange between both men in its entirety in the video player below:
