Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa is not finalized yet.
It was reported on Saturday by Brazilian publication Combate that the middleweight title fight was set to take place at UFC 253 on September 19. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani would confirm the same while Costa would claim the fight was on soon after.
Fans were left relieved as it’s a fight many have been expecting to take place for a while only for a deal not to come to fruition seemingly until now.
However, the fight still isn’t done as of yet according to UFC president Dana White.
“I don’t think that’s true,” White said at the UFC Fight Island 2 post-fight press conference. “I don’t think both have signed. Have both signed that deal? It’s not done. F*cking guys. They were told not to say anything. Combate breaks it immediately and tweeting, you know? The fight is not done.”
Adesanya vs. Costa Likely Taking Place On Fight Island
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, re-shutting down of cities and travel restrictions involving Costa, White confirmed the title fight, once booked, would likely take place in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
As for why the fight isn’t confirmed despite recent reports — with one report in particular stating one of the fighters hasn’t signed a deal yet — White refused to divulge more information.
“The fight’s not done yet. It doesn’t matter [who hasn’t signed]. The fight’s not done,” White responded. “The people are out saying that the fight is done when the fight isn’t done. You know what I mean? It drives me crazy.
“If the fight was done, you would have saw a promo tonight inside the arena. There would have been promos on TV for it. And we would be announcing the fight. It’s not done.”
Hopefully, it gets done soon.
What do you make of White’s revelation?