Paulo Costa Rooting For Israel Adesanya So He Can ‘Knock Him Out Cold’
Paulo Costa continues to root for Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 243. Why? So he can beat him up next.
Adesanya meets Robert Whittaker in a middleweight title unification fight in the headliner for UFC 243 this Saturday. Costa will be keeping a close eye on the contest as he is likely next in line for a title shot following his unanimous decision win over Yoel Romero last month.
And while he still thinks Whittaker will win, he is hoping that “The Last Stylebender” comes out on top:
“I’m really rooting for Adesanya to win,” Costa told MMA Fighting. “I think it’s going to be a really tough, I don’t think he gets past (Whittaker), but I’m asking God for him to win because I would really love to win the belt by beating him up.
“I really want to knock him out cold in the Octagon (and) leave him lying on the floor unconscious. I want to take that belt away from him so he stops being such a clown, but I don’t think he gets past Whittaker.”
The beef between the two stemmed beyond social media. It actually began last year during international fight week:
“We were at the same hotel when I was going to fight Uriah Hall,” Costa said. “He fought the night before against Brad Tavares, but no one knows who the hell Brad Tavares is, and he’s acting like he’s the man. We both won and he called me out. I don’t even know who this f*cker is, you know?
“He was just starting in the UFC. He had two or three fights, while I couldn’t fight because I was recovering and then waiting for Romero, and he grew (in the UFC) and became this cocky guy, always talking about me.”
Adesanya Is The Easiest Fight For Costa
“The Eraser” doesn’t necessarily think Adesanya is a bad fighter. But he feels the interim champion is a much easier matchup than Whittaker or Romero:
“I think Whittaker is more complicated,” Costa added. “(Adesanya is) too easy. Not that he’s a bad fighter. I think that compared to Romero and Whittaker, Adesanya would be the easiest one.
“I have nothing against (Whittaker). It would be a normal fight. I would still move forward to knock him out. None of my fights were personal, and I still knocked everyone out, so it would be another good one. But I think he’s easier than Romero.”
What do you make of Costa’s comments?
