Ahead of their clash at UFC 253, Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are engaged in a verbal back and forth, and both fired shots to tear each other.
The fight before the fight is on, and it is intense, both Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are trying to get under each other’s skin, and in process have passed slanderous remarks to gain a psychological momentum before their in-ring battle, which is scheduled for September 26.
Israel Adesanya Thinks Paulo Costa Would Fight Under Substance Influence
Recently the middleweights were engaged in a quarrel at a virtual call, which was hosted by ESPN. The interview did not go amicably, as both men did not back down from showing animosity for the other. However, after the fallout, Israel Adesanya now reveals that before the on-screen conversation began, he asked Costa a couple of questions regarding the dope test, and he was uncomfortable to answer them. Speaking to Submission Radio, Adesanya said “Even before the interview kicked off, when I saw him initially, I asked him a few questions that he couldn’t really give me a straight answer to”. Adesanya asked about “The last time he got tested? … He couldn’t give me a straight answer, put it that way.
“Twice in the last three weeks, I got tested – at night, because they tried to catch me off-guard. So it was the first time they ever tested me at night. So, where’s your T-shirt? I’ve been tested over 30 times, but where’s your T-shirt?”
The middleweight champion later expressed his concern and thinks Costa would fight under influence. However, he also showcased his confidence in the same chat, when he stated, “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 going to pop him before USADA pops him. So I’m going to beat him. And then, when he gets popped by USADA down the line, I’ll be like, ‘Yup, I still whooped his ass even when he was on steroids.’ That would make a great story.” (Source)
Paulo Costa Thinks Israel Adesanya is Already Nervous
When recently the two exchanged words at the SportsCenter meeting, Paulo Costa reminded Israel Adesanya of his previous performance against Yoel Romero, and tagged his performance as less convincing one as compared to his own show against Romero. Adesanya encountered this by bringing his trophy winnings, which Costa thinks is a sign of nervousness.
Paulo Costa in a tete-a-tete with Submission Radio said, “As you saw, when I gave the opportunity to speak with him directly, he showed how unconfident he is. 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. He’s used to doing that. 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.” (Source)
More steam is expected to brew and release fume in the coming weeks, however the match-up is already seen as a potential contender for the fight of the year, thus some teasing and provoking the opponent is all under the ambit of the sport.
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