Israel Adesanya on track for UFC 248, but Paulo Costa could replace Yoel Romero
LAS VEGAS – UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is expected to defend his title at UFC 248, but his opponent has yet to be determined.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the promotion is still actively looking to book Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in the main event of the March 7 event at T-Mobile Arena, despite the organization’s hesitancy to make an official announcement.
“There’s no holdup on it all,” White told MMA Junkie following Wednesday’s UFC 246 news conference. “That’s the fight we’re trying to make. It would be those two and Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk.”
There is one wrinkle in the company’s plans, though. Undefeated contender Paulo Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who earned a title shot with an August win over Romero at UFC 241 but then revealed a bicep injury might keep him out of the planned booking, has now re-entered the picture.
“The only question is, I don’t know if you’ve seen on social media, but if you look at Costa, he looks like he’s ready to go again, and he’s pushing hard saying, ‘I could take this fight,’” White said
If you look at him online, he looks great and everything else, but we want to hear it from a doctor. We want a doctor to tell us that this guy is going to be OK to fight sooner. Why rush it?
With UFC 248 a little more than seven weeks away, company officials will certainly be looking to go on sale with tickets sooner rather than later, which means a decision will need to be made in the very near future. But with a blockbuster UFC 246 event set for this weekend, White didn’t seem to feel pressured when asked if there’s a deadline in place to make the call.
“We’re working on it,” White said.
Adesanya currently sits at No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, with Costa just behind at No. 2, and Romero checking in at No. 4
Israel Adesanya on track for UFC 248, but Paulo Costa could replace Yoel Romero
