Paulo Costa is still firing shots at UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya days after their combustible ESPN interview.
Paulo Costa will challenge Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 next month in a battle of the undefeated, but the verbal assault is well underway from both sides. The two exchanged words on ESPN SportsCenter last week, and when provided a setting to let loose on Adesanya without interruption, Costa let it pour (h/t MMA Fighting):
“As you saw, when I gave the opportunity to speak with him directly, he showed how unconfident he is,” Costa said in a recent interview with Submission Radio. “He tried to show every time [his trophies] he got. Like, every time he went, ‘Oh, look how good I am.’ He needed to prove to the people and to himself that he’s good.”
Paulo Costa argues that if Adesanya is truly as good as he thinks he is, he would not alter at the prospect of pain or adversity.
“I like to think of myself like a real tough guy – maybe the toughest guy on the planet,” Costa said. “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.”
Paulo Costa will have the opportunity to demonstrate his fighting superiority to Adesanya at UFC 253 next month. In the meantime, one month is a world of time for these two combatants to continue unleashing on one another verbally.
What’s your take on Paulo Costa’s latest attack on Israel Adesanya?
