LAS VEGAS – His victory over Yoel Romero didn’t deliver the fireworks many had hoped for or expected, but UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says he doesn’t expect the same to happen in his next matchup.
Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defeated Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 248 in a fight that finished with the crowd showering the octagon with boos. But Adesanya says his next assignment is sure to bring more action and excitement as he discussed the possibility of facing the man he was originally scheduled to face at UFC 248, Brazilian contender Paulo Costa.
“Everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen, but I’m looking forward to that fight now more than ever,” Adesanya told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight news conference at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Because I actually get a guy that’s going to not stand there and do the 52 blocks at me. He’s actually going to come forward, have pressure and get hit by me a lot.”
Earlier in the evening, Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) had slammed Adesanya’s performance, saying he was a “shameful champion” and that he ran from Romero during their headliner, but Adesanya dismissed “Borrachinha’s” comments as those of a man trying to generate some hype for himself ahead of a potential bout between the pair.
“He sucks at it,” Adesanya said. “He sucks at trying to talk trash, as well, and he’s easily influenced. I can flick his nose, and you’ll see him bark at the cage. He’s too emotional.”
It’s that emotional side that Adesanya says will prove Costa’s undoing when they eventually face off inside the octagon as “The Last Stylebender” gave reporters a preview of how he thinks the matchup will play out.
“Already I know how that fight’s going to go,” he said. “I’m going to sleep that guy. He’s a guy that I’ve seen (before). I’ve had a lot of kickboxing fights. His reach, his arms when he lets them down, they reach his waist, you know? I’ll pick him apart. He’s a guy I’ll definitely jab, I’ll pick apart, catch him, then knock him out.”
Fans might not have to wait too long to see that fight, either, with the 185-pound champion declaring himself happy to accept Costa’s suggestion of a fight in Las Vegas on the UFC’s International Fight Week card July 11.
“That sounds good to me,” he said. “July is my birthday month. Yeah, I can do that.”
To hear more from Adesanya, watch the video above.
Israel Adesanya already can't wait for Paulo Costa clash: 'I'm going to sleep that guy'
