Israel Adesanya: Paulo Costa dumb, but dangerous at UFC 253; Costa fires back

Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa continue to trade barbs ahead of their highly anticipated middleweight title clash.

Just over a month away from their Sept. 26 headliner at UFC 253, which is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UFC middleweight champion Adesanya and Costa were featured on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in a heated, but entertaining exchange that had both fighters taking stabs at each other for their fighting styles.

Both men are coming off wins over Yoel Romero in two completely different fights. Costa threw down in a “Fight of the Year” candidate with Romero at UFC 241 in a fight in which both scored knockdowns and continuously traded for 15 minutes.

Adesanya was involved in a more tactical fight with Romero in which Romero was a lot more tentative to engage. Adesanya outpointed him in a lackluster affair.

But Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who has often made opponents pay with his sharp counter-striking, says while Costa’s reckless approach can be a threat, it’s only going to benefit him.

“He’s dumb,” Adesanya told ESPN. “He’s dumb and he walks forward and he throws shots. That’s what makes it really exciting, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to this big, inflated ignoramus, running up on me, trying to throw shots as I keep moving and sticking him.”

Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) made it known he wasn’t a fan of Adesanya’s performance against Romero, accusing the champion of running away from Romero’s explosiveness and being afraid to trade with him.

“I really think he has good skills,” Costa said. “His best skill is running away – avoid the fight. He’s very good at that – very good when he wants to do that. I tried to ask him why he just stood when he faced Romero. The only thing more disturbing than his hair was his fight against Romero.”

Adesanya continued to shut down Costa’s claims by flashing both his “Fight of the Year” trophy, which he was awarded for his war against Kelvin Gastelum in April 2019, as well as his “Fighter of the Year” trophy, which he claimed for a remarkable 2019 that he capped by winning the middleweight title.

Adesanya said there is no comparison when stacking up each fighter’s resume and that Costa may refer to him a “skinny clown,” but he’ll find out how strong he is on the night.

“The only people he ever beat that are worthy of anything as two guys that are ranked, that was Uriah Hall and Romero,” Adesanya said. “Who else has he beat that’s ranked? Who else has he beat? I can list you four guys that I have, so you have to understand there’s levels to this.

“Like I said, he’s dumb. But that’s what makes him dangerous, as well, because he’s not scared to walk forward and just throw, and he’s strong. But the same thing happens when they step in the cage with me. When they see me, they feel me. They say, ‘Oh my God – he’s a lot stronger than I thought. Oh my God – he’s a lot bigger than I thought.’”