Israel Adesanya Taunts Paulo Costa Ahead of UFC 253

Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya are leaving no stones unturned by hyping the epic battle which will take place in the main event of UFC 253. Israel Adesanya will take on Paulo Costa in his second title defense after a lackluster performance against Yoel Romero at UFC 248. Earlier, Paulo Costa posted a video on Youtube ridiculing Israel Adesanya for running away from the action during his fight against Yoel Romero. Costa captioned the video, Paulo Costa vs Runnersanya, and stated that he has faced better strikers than Israel Adesanya.

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Israel Adesanya is a former kickboxing sensation and has transitioned into MMA as a force to be reckoned with inside the UFC. Within two years of entering into UFC, Adesanya rose to stardom with notable victories over Derek Brunson, Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, and Robert Whittaker. Adesanya has been praised for his technical striking and his impeccable counter punching.

Israel Adesanya claims that he has faced better strikers than Paulo Costa

Israel Adesanya

Paulo Costa in a recent interaction during the Virtual Media Day for UFC 253 stated that he doesn’t see Israel Adesanya as a threat inside the octagon. Paulo Costa is a dangerous striker with solid knockout power in his hands. With notable victories over Yoel Romero, Uriah Hall, and Johny Hendricks, Costa has already cemented himself as one of the best in the UFC Middleweight division. However, Adesanya stated that he has faced better strikers than Paulo Costa and is not afraid of him. Adesanya claimed that Anderson Silva is a better striker with him, and stated that he is not a top-level kickboxer as well.

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“Even in kickboxing, he’s not one of the best,” Costa said. “I’ve faced way better strikers. That’s not even close. He’s definitely not the best fighter. I think [Anderson] Silva is a better striker than him, [Robert] Whittaker is a different striker than him but can be better.

Adesanya stated that he is not even close to being the best striker in the UFC Middleweight division. However, Adesanya did mention that Costa is dangerous. It is an exciting match-up between two undefeated fighters. Only time will tell who will lose his undefeated streak and who will emerge as the UFC Middleweight Champion of the world.

“Yeah, he’s not the best striker I’ve fought, but he’s dangerous, though. That’s one thing you have to remember. But he has to remember, so am I.”