Paulo Costa thinks UFC champ Israel Adesanya might find way to avoid fighting him

LAS VEGAS – Paulo Costa doesn’t think Israel Adesanya wants to fight him.

Adesanya retained his middleweight title this past Saturday at UFC 248 with a unanimous decision win over Yoel Romero, and all signs are pointing to a showdown with Costa next.

Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who’s coming off a win over Romero, was initially meant to challenge Adesanya before a bicep injury forced him to the sidelines.

Now that he’s cleared to return and Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) came out relatively unscathed from his lackluster bout with Romero, the two finally can fight.

But Costa said just like Adesanya didn’t want to fight Jon Jones now, he won’t want to fight him.

“He’s not a (respectable) guy. The only problem (fighting) Adesanya is he’s afraid,” Costa said this past Saturday while a guest fighter at UFC 248 in Las Vegas. “I need to remember, he asked Jon Jones to fight against him. Jon Jones said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ Dana White agreed. And Adesanya said, ‘I need two years to train.’ So be careful, because he’s afraid. If he gets the win (against Romero), he can avoid this fight against me.”

The two have been going back and forth even before Adesanya captured the middleweight title, making it more than just a fight for Costa.

“Against Adesanya, it’s personal,” Costa said. “It’s not just to fight for the belt or the money or something like this. No, it’s personal.”