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UFC Vegas 41: Costa vs. Vettori Preview/Prediction

A 195-pound catchweight showdown sets the UFC Apex ablaze when Paulo Costa meets Marvin Vettori this weekend at UFC Vegas 41. The main event features Italy’s Vettori attempting to right the ship after suffering a decision loss to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Meanwhile, the #2-ranked Costa is also returning to action after having lost to […]

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A 195-pound catchweight showdown sets the UFC Apex ablaze when Paulo Costa meets Marvin Vettori this weekend at UFC Vegas 41.

The main event features Italy’s Vettori attempting to right the ship after suffering a decision loss to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Meanwhile, the #2-ranked Costa is also returning to action after having lost to the middleweight titleholder as well. With more than a year away from the Octagon, questions surrounding Costa’s conditioning will be answered at UFC Vegas 41.

The two combatants have vastly different styles. Brazil’s Costa made a name for himself with a heavy hand and forward pressure. Costa’s imposing run to the middleweight title challenge was downright scary. Each time Costa entered the Octagon, destruction seemed inevitable.

Though, after his contest with Adesanya and his first loss with the promotion (outside of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 3 decision loss), the former title challenger circled his wine drinking as one of the reasons for the defeat. Ahead of the contest, Vettori admits he’s baffled by Costa’s latest behavior.

Paulo Costa’s Path To UFC Vegas 41

As the opener for the legendary UFC 217: Bisping vs. St. Pierre pay-per-view, Costa established his name among hardcore fans quickly with a blistering second round finish of Johny Hendricks.

Despite periods of respite or inactivity, Costa’s UFC appearances were violent and decisive. Next on his path of destruction was a motivated Uriah Hall. Once again showcased on a massive card, Paulo Costa made the most of his UFC 226 appearance.

The middleweight handled business and scored a TKO in the second round. Similar to his previous bouts, his style pressure cooked the opponent in the first round and then executed his path to victory in the second round.

From his UFC inception in 2017, Paulo Costa’s knockout power shook the very foundation of the middleweight division. In his initial four contests, each opponent would crumble under his violent forward pressure. With a 100% finishing rate at the time, many were on board when the promotion announced that his next fight would be with fellow brawler Yoel Romero.

After besting Romero by decision, Paulo Costa met Israel Adesanya in Sept. of 2020. A series of feints stopped Costa from his style of prodding forward. It seemed the different looks the champion was giving off began to confuse the challenger. In the second round, “The Last Stylebender” finished who many thought would be his most challenging test to date.

At UFC Vegas 41, Paulo Costa can reinstate himself as a viable title contender with a commanding win against Marvin Vettori. If the champion couldn’t finish Vettori in their last bout, certainly if Costa can get the job done, he will be on the short-list for gold.

Marvin Vettori’s Path To UFC Vegas 41

Making his UFC debut in 2016, Marvin Vettori’s ceiling seemed to be up there with the best. Before his MMA game was met with maturation, the Italian contender faced Israel Adesanya before he exploded into UFC superstardom. The 2018 contest was much closer than their most recent bout, with Adesanya narrowly getting the victory.

In their initial encounter, Adesanya met his first legitimate challenge in the UFC when Marvin Vettori’s wrestling pressure began to take over the fight’s narrative. “The Last Stylebender” would find success in their first fight with a split-decision victory that Vettori lamented until his second opportunity came in 2021.

Despite fighting Adesanya a second time, Vettori struggled to inflict damage again. The middleweight obviously made vast improvements in his striking development. However, his pressure was unable to keep the champion honest and Adesanya won by unanimous decision.

With both combatants at UFC Vegas 41 facing losses to the current champion, the fight will display who can handle career adversity and move forward. The wrestling activity of Marvin Vettori will be critical to achieving victory. Paulo Costa is a standup fighter. With the pace “The Italian Dream” sets in each UFC bout, the Brazilian native may have his hands full this weekend when he returns from a year-long layoff in a bout now scheduled for 205 pounds.

Prediction: Marvin Vettori def. Paulo Costa by unanimous decision

Who do you believe will win at UFC Vegas 41?

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Marvin Vettori Shares Why He Handpicked Paulo Costa As Next Opponent

UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori has revealed why he wanted to face fellow former title challenger Paulo Costa in his next Octagon outing. Vettori was last in action in June. After impressive victories over Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland, “The Italian Dream” secured a rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, this time for the title. […]

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UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori has revealed why he wanted to face fellow former title challenger Paulo Costa in his next Octagon outing.

Vettori was last in action in June. After impressive victories over Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland, “The Italian Dream” secured a rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, this time for the title. In the UFC 263 main event, Vettori became the third man to challenge the Nigerian-New Zealander’s throne. After being outpointed across five rounds inside Glendale’s Gila River Arena, the #5-ranked contender failed to capture the 185-pound gold.

Costa, meanwhile, also fell short of the middleweight mountaintop in his last fight. At UFC 253, the Brazilian met “The Last Stylebender” in Abu Dhabi. Despite boasting an unblemished record, and being tipped by many as the man who would hand Adesanya his first defeat at 185 pounds, “Borrachinha” offered little in the opening frame and was finished in the second. He later laid the blame on a bottle of wine he’d apparently consumed the night before.

Both men will be looking to re-establish themselves in the title picture when they collide in this weekend’s UFC Vegas 41 main event.

Despite his opponent boasting a perfect 13-0 record that included 11 knockouts prior to his defeat to Adesanya, Vettori is more than happy to be facing the 30-year-old. During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, the Italian explained why he targeted a fight against the Brazilian powerhouse.

“Because, man, it’s a perfect matchup. I think it’s a fan-favorite fight, too. He definitely likes to come forward. I do not ever shy away from confronting any guy, any fighter. And I think I’m superior, and I think I’m gonna win this fight, and I really wanna knock this guy out, stop him.”

With both men ranked inside the division’s top five, and with Adesanya having already beaten most top contenders, it stands to reason an impressive performance for either man inside the UFC Apex on Saturday could leave them just one win away from securing another crack at dethroning Adesanya.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 41, Marvin Vettori or Paulo Costa?

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Paulo Costa Calls for Catchweight Fight, Won’t Make 185 vs. Marvin Vettori

UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa’s well-documented weight-cutting issues appear to be getting worse, as Costa says he won’t make 185 pounds ahead of his headliner against Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 41. Costa is looking to get back in the win column after falling by knockout to Israel Adesanya, and his scheduled fight with Vettori […]

Costa is looking to get back in the win column after falling by knockout to Israel Adesanya, and his scheduled fight with Vettori had been expected to be a potential No. 1 contender fight. But, the fight could be on the mends after Costa revealed he’s 211 pounds just days before the official weigh-in.

Costa had a lot to say about his demands for the upcoming fight and where he’s at physically ahead of the event.

Paulo Costa is coming off of a title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253

Paulo Costa, currently 211 pounds, says he won't make 186 for Saturday's main event.

"Maybe we can do a catchweight of 195."#UFCVegas41 | Full video: https://t.co/2kwJyf3xZJ pic.twitter.com/wsMh6zzMRP

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) October 20, 2021

“I think this fight will happen, and it won’t happen if he doesn’t want to fight me,” Costa said. “Maybe we can do a catchweight at 195, could be a more explosive and exciting fight for the fans. I think with both guys heavy, a knockout could happen.”

“I’m at [211 pounds]. It isn’t on schedule to be at middleweight anymore.”

As of the publishing of this story, the UFC still has Costa vs. Vettori set to be a middleweight bout, according to their website. But, things could change ahead of Friday’s official weigh-in.

Many believe that Costa’s physique is more fit to compete at light heavyweight, which has a 205-pound limit. But, Costa hasn’t expressed a profound interest in a potential move up in weight, despite the UFC constantly needing new light heavyweight contenders in the division.

Costa and Vettori are both known to have quite the personalities, and it appears that the drama between Costa and the UFC doesn’t appear to be fizzling out anytime soon. It should be an interesting second half of fight week.

What do you think Paulo Costa’s future holds at middleweight in the UFC?

Marvin Vettori Is Baffled By ‘Crazy’ Excuses Of Paulo Costa

Marvin Vettori is a bit of a strange character, but he would never drink the night before a title fight. Vettori is set to face off against Paulo Costa, in what will be the first fight for both men since they lost in title fights with champ Israel Adesanya. While the Italian Stallion himself lost […]

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Marvin Vettori is a bit of a strange character, but he would never drink the night before a title fight.

Vettori is set to face off against Paulo Costa, in what will be the first fight for both men since they lost in title fights with champ Israel Adesanya. While the Italian Stallion himself lost a decision that he thought he won, Costa blamed his TKO defeat on using a bottle of wine to cure his insomnia the night before.

Speaking in an interview with ESPN ahead of the fight, Vettori expressed how insane this wine excuse was from Costa. In fact, he stated that at first, he did not believe that this was really what happened, simply because of how nonsensical it appeared to him.

“I mean, at the beginning, I thought it was an excuse. Then actually, it seems like it actually happened. So by saying that, it’s actually even more shocking because I’m like, you can’t sleep and that’s what you’re thinking of? ‘I’m gonna drink a bottle of wine’? Like, that is shocking. An athlete of this level thinking about drinking a bottle of [expletive] wine the day before a fight? You’re crazy. It don’t make no [expletive] sense.”

That being said, now that Marvin Vettori believes the wine story, that does not clear up all the questions he has. In fact, he has trouble understanding the logic behind using alcohol to sleep on the eve of the biggest night of one’s life, saying that it was a sign of mental weakness.

“That shows you don’t know your mind that well. You don’t know how to get yourself in a good spot…That actually gave me a lot of confidence, but I don’t want to build on that too much because I still expect the best ouf of him. But how do you even think about drinking a bottle of wine the night before a title fight?”

Marvin Vettori also added that he feels like there should not have been any lingering effects from the wine by the time fight time came around. While that is not an unfair point, that is not exactly indicative of how hangovers work, especially if Paulo Costa drank the entire bottle as he said.

Either way, hopefully Costa does not make the same mistake twice, and keeps the bottle away before he fights Vettori this weekend. This is a crucial fight for both men to stay relevant in the title picture, so fans can only hope for the best.

Check out the full interview with Vettori below:

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Adesanya On Costa/Vettori Fight: “I Wanna See My Children Do Well”

“If I were to bet money on this fight, it would be hard to bet because they both suck.” – Israel Adesanya Sunday, Israel Adesanya released a video where he pulled up a chair; enjoyed a nice, tall glass of Brazilian wine paired with Italian pizza; and gave a thorough breakdown of the upcoming fight […]

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“If I were to bet money on this fight, it would be hard to bet because they both suck.” – Israel Adesanya

Sunday, Israel Adesanya released a video where he pulled up a chair; enjoyed a nice, tall glass of Brazilian wine paired with Italian pizza; and gave a thorough breakdown of the upcoming fight between his two “children,” Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.

It’s fight week again, and the upcoming main event this Saturday features top-5 middleweights Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is no stranger to either competitor, with the Last Stylebender holding a total of three victories over them.

Although both men lost to Adesanya in their most recent contest, Izzy remains an invested observer in the movement around the top of the division. Thus, he will be tuning in this Saturday night along with the rest of us, but don’t expect to catch the champ in the Sportsbooks come fight night.

“How do I see this fight going? To be honest, like I said, if I was gonna bet, I’m not too sure,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “But I’ll go first with Vettori.”

Adesanya Shares Marvin Vettori’s Path To Victory Over Paulo Costa

Israel Adesanya Marvin Vettori — (via Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Despite making the decision not to put any skin in the game, Adesanya went ahead and provided a free breakdown on par with any gambling sharp’s input.

“I would say Vettori is a guy that, when he fought me the last time, he didn’t want to fight. He wanted to survive,” Adesanya said. “He wasn’t trying to win, if you know what I mean. I’ll give him his improvements. His boxing defense was improved. He had better leg movement. His leg was open to bet hit. His attacks were basic. Nothing’s wrong with basics because basics are good. But yeah, his attacks were basic. He was repetitive. He was predictable, very predictable.”

Notwithstanding the flaws Adesanya picked up on from The Italian Dream and the fact that he has already picked Costa to win, the champion still sees a path to victory for Vettori.

“To be honest, I think Vettori’s biggest weapon in this fight is his chin, is that block head, that fuckin’ LEGO block head,” Adesanya assessed. “That’s his biggest weapon in this fight because he can take Costa to deep water by taking punishment, some rope-a-dope shit without the rope-a-dope. Just walking forward and taking punishment…

“I’d say his method of victory is just taking Costa to deep water by grappling him and stalling or just making him work.”

Adesanya Gives Advice To ‘Son’ Paulo Costa Ahead Of Main Event

Adesanya would then turn his attention to Borrachina, whom the champion says must bring the fight to his Italian opposition from the opening stanza.

“Costa’s path to victory in this fight: Get him out early,” Adesanya advised. “I feel like: Do what he did that got you to the dance, that got you this far. Because you’re not fighting me. You’re fighting Vettori. And he’s got shitful work, even worse than you. So I feel like Costa can just do what he does and just bullrush him, bulldoze him. But be careful of the takedowns because Vettori’s gonna try that: to time it and take him down.”

Ultimately, Adesanya claims that as long as his “children” give it their best, that’s all a proud father could really ask for, regardless of the final outcome.

“I don’t really care who wins, to be honest,” Adesanya admitted. “I just wanna see a good fight. I wanna see my children do well. I really wish the best for my kids and my kid’s kid.”

It was at this point in the video that Adesanya was ambushed with “paternity test results,” which revealed in Maury Povich-esque fashion that he is, in fact, the father of Paulo Costa.

You can view Adesanya’s full breakdown as well as the surprise paternity test results in the video below.

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