Report: UFC 253 To Take Place On Fight Island

The UFC is heading back to Fight Island. For the month of July, the Las Vegas-based promotion packed up its bags and headed to Fight Island on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. It was a great marketing play and a great way for international fighters to …

The UFC is heading back to Fight Island. For the month of July, the Las Vegas-based promotion packed up its bags and headed to Fight Island on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. It was a great marketing play and a great way for international fighters to compete. After the month of July, UFC president, […]

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Adesanya and Costa Have Interesting Exchange About Steroids

Israel Adesanya is more suspicious than ever of his UFC 253 opponent Paulo Costa regarding potential steroid use, and Costa is loving every minute of it. Israel Adesanya has long accused UFC 253 opponent Paulo Costa of using steroids. Minutes prior to …

Israel Adesanya is more suspicious than ever of his UFC 253 opponent Paulo Costa regarding potential steroid use, and Costa is loving every minute of it. Israel Adesanya has long accused UFC 253 opponent Paulo Costa of using steroids. Minutes prior to their virtual two-man interview on ESPN SportsCenter recently, Adesanya had an opportunity to […]

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Paulo Costa Responds To Israel Adesanya’s Steroid Allegations

UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and No. 2 ranked middleweight contender Paulo Costa have been going at it nonstop on social media for some time now. ‘The Last Stylebender’ had some comments for the challenger that he shared with Submission Radio yesterday. The champion was asked what his thoughts were on the Paulo Costa he […]

UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and No. 2 ranked middleweight contender Paulo Costa have been going at it nonstop on social media for some time now. ‘The Last Stylebender’ had some comments for the challenger that he shared with Submission Radio yesterday.

The champion was asked what his thoughts were on the Paulo Costa he saw in the ESPN interview a few days ao, the first time they were able to speak to each other. Adesanya answered that he wishes that this fight happened before Covid-19, because then he could see him face to face leading up to it.

He also mentioned that he asked Costa a question in the ESPN interview. Denis Shkuratov asked, ‘what kinda stuff were you asking him?’ Adesanya responded, ‘The last time he got tested.’ Kacper Rosolowski then asked, ‘what did he say?’

“He couldn’t give me a straight answer, put it that way. I told him I got tested twice in the last three weeks, twice in the last three weeks I got tested. They tried to catch me off guard. So it was the first two times, or the first time they ever tested me at night.

“And yeah, where’s your (USADA) t-shirt? I’ve been tested over 30 times, or almost 30 times. So where’s your t-shirt? I know what it’s like, and I’m from Lagos City Nigeria, I know what it’s like in certain countries where money talks. Where, if you flash your gun, people act a certain way. I know what it’s like.

“And you’ve heard stories about Brazil with people running up in gyms to test people, and they’re not complying because of certain things, but yea, I just know what it’s like.

“But I don’t mind. I just like bringing that up because I want it to be known, because I said on record, I’m gonna pop him before USADA pops him. I’m gonna beat him, and then when he gets caught by USADA down the line, (I’ll) be like yep, I still whooped his ass even when he was on steroids. That’d make a great story.”

Costa has been playing along with Adesanya’s allegations, claiming he hasn’t even been tested, and it’s pretty entertaining.

It’s never cool to make assumptions about a fighter being on performance enhancing drugs, but this isn’t the first time Adesanya, or others have mentioned this with Costa’s name. He was flagged by USADA after his UFC 212 fight with Oluwale Bamgbose for using an IV to rehydrate. People also use IV’s to help aid in flushing banned substances from their systems.

Again, it’s not fair to make assumptions. But when you cut that much weight (40 lbs) and you’re all solid muscle, have that much power, and that good of endurance, it is hard not to put it into question.

Nonetheless, this is only the second fight in UFC history where a title is on the line and both the champion and challenger are undefeated, and they’ll settle their differences at UFC 253 on September 26.

Do you agree with the champions claim that Costa is a dirty fighter?

Adesanya Predicts What Would Happen If He Sees Costa Before UFC 253

Israel Adesanya predicts that Paulo Costa would take the first of his two L’s against him should he feel froggy before their middleweight championship showdown at UFC 253, UFC 253 will take place Saturday, September 26, and the war of words between UFC…

Israel Adesanya predicts that Paulo Costa would take the first of his two L’s against him should he feel froggy before their middleweight championship showdown at UFC 253, UFC 253 will take place Saturday, September 26, and the war of words between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa has already ramped up to […]

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Paulo Costa Rips ‘Fragile’ Israel Adesanya: ‘You’re Not A Real Champion’

Paulo CostaMiddleweight title challenger Paulo Costa has ripped into his UFC 253 opponent, Israel Adesanya by claiming he is not a real champion. Costa spoke to Submission Radio ahead of his 185lb title bid on September 26 and had a pretty savage prediction for his fight against Adesanya, he said. “I have just one question, Adesanya, […]

Paulo Costa

Middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa has ripped into his UFC 253 opponent, Israel Adesanya by claiming he is not a real champion. Costa spoke to Submission Radio ahead of his 185lb title bid on September 26 and had a pretty savage prediction for his fight against Adesanya, he said.

“I have just one question, Adesanya, why were you frozen when you faced [Yoel] Romero? You are not a real champion, man, you don’t deserve it. I will kill you.”

‘Borrachinha’ believes Adesanya is fragile and his chin won’t hold up when they square off.

“He knows he’s fragile,” Costa said. “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 was knocked out two times. … Imagine what I can do with him, with his skinny, fragile body with 4 ounces on my hands.”

The UFC 253 fighters were interviewed together by ESPN and things got heated. Costa took confidence from the virtual meeting and believes Adesanya will freeze at UFC 253.

“As you saw, when I gave the opportunity to speak with him directly, he showed how unconfident he is,” the Brazilian contender said. “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.”

“If you really believe you’re very good, you don’t need to show this kind of stuff, but he froze. And this is what he did when he met a potential competitor, a real competitor like me, like he froze against Romero.

Costa went on to use Adesanya’s beef with Jon Jones as an example of how the New Zealander lacks confidence, he said.

“He called out Jon Jones to fight. And then when Jon Jones accepted his challenge, he said, ‘No, I’m not prepared yet, I need one or two years to get more weight, to get more muscle to fight Jon Jones.’ So, Adesanya, unfortunately he is this kind of guy who freezes when he faces a real competitor.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

Do you think Paulo Costa has got in the head of Israel Adesanya?

Paulo Costa: Adesanya Is Afraid of Real Fights & Real Opponents

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 u…

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 […]

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