UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya sat down with Helen Yee ahead of his UFC 263 championship fight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ went over several contenders in his division, including former title challenger, Paulo Costa. The Brazilian heavy-hitter last fought against Adesanya back at UFC 253 and was defeated rather decisively via TKO in the second round.
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Paulo Costa has had two marquee fights canceled since then, one against Robert Whittaker and recently against Jared Cannonier. ‘Borrachinha’ took to social media and revealed that he wasn’t satisfied with his current pay and overall contract. In fact, things got so bad that Dana White commented on the matter and ripped Costa for demanding more money after his last performance.
How much would you pay 💰 me to show up? Be generous
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 5, 2021
Less than 350k is joke
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 5, 2021
Israel Adesanya didn’t seem to have much sympathy for Paulo Costa either. He went in on his former rival. When asked to comment on his current predicament, Adesanya simply resorted to trolling Costa. He called back to his humping celebration over Costa after his win and said that the Brazilian was saving up for child support as a single father.
Imago
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – SEPTEMBER 27: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria celebrates after defeating Paulo Costa of Brazil in their middleweight championship bout during UFC 253 inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on September 27, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
“I mean, when you’re expecting this month… He’s due this month. Child support costs a lot so yeah, he needs the money to look after the baby as a single father. Yeah, he’s due this month.”
Adesanya’s disregard toward Costa in the humping celebration clearly stays on till today.
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Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa: UFC 253 Rewind
The bout took place on Yas Fight Island in the company’s second stint in Abu Dhabi after the success of UFC 251. The tension between Adesanya and Costa had reached critical mass when the two were finally locked inside the octagon. However, Paulo Costa’s famed aggression was nowhere to be found.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – SEPTEMBER 27: (L-R) Paulo Costa of Brazil kicks Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their middleweight championship bout during UFC 253 inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on September 27, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
As the Nigerian-born New Zealand-made champion wasn’t biting on Paulo Costa’s feints, he dissected the challenger. By the end of round one, Costa was bloodied, and it was clear he was out of his element. Adesanya dropped Costa early in the next round and capped off his second title defense with a rather memorable post-fight celebration.
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