Paulo Costa Might Shock The Fans In a Rematch Against Israel Adesanya

Not so long ago, Paulo Costa was considered to be the man that can beat Israel Adesanya. However, their first meeting ended in a rather embarrassing manner as ‘Izzy’ got the better of Costa in their September 2021 bout. The Brazilian hasn’t been quite active since then having fought only once, that too in a losing effort. 

Paulo Costa was still recovering a couple of feet away, but Izzy didn’t care and dropped some trademark moves 🔥 #UFC253 pic.twitter.com/vwPwjA9fY4

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) September 27, 2020

Israel Adesanya hasn’t been troubled quite a lot inside the octagon by the guys at the Middleweight division. The first fight between the two went horribly wrong for Costa as he looked to be rushing a lot. However, Paulo Costa can prove to be Adesanya’s toughest challenge in the Middleweight division.

While his recent run of form doesn’t represent quite the same, Costa’s power should not be undermined. Moreover, we have seen Adesanya struggle with wrestling, especially in his fight against Jan Blachowicz. The Brazilian can certainly take advantage of the same and look to get the better of him. 

Even though a rematch between these two is far from happening at the moment, it is safe to say that Paulo Costa can certainly use his power and ground game to get the better of Adesanya if and when the two square off again inside the octagon. 

Who are Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya’s next opponents?

Both Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya are currently gearing up for their next fights. The Brazilian is set to take on Luke Rockhold on July 30th. Coming off two consecutive losses, this is a great opportunity for Costa to fall back to the winning ways. However, Rockhold has a lot at stake as well having lost his last two bouts himself. It will be interesting to see who emerges victorious come fight night. 

On the flip side, Israel Adesanya will be making yet another title defense on July 3rd. This time against Jared Cannonier. Having fought most of the top guys in the Middleweight division at least once, Cannonier will present a new challenge to ‘Izzy’ at UFC 276. Even though ‘Izzy’ will be a massive favorite to win the bout, Cannonier will most certainly prove to be a tough challenge for Adesanya to overcome. The fans can certainly hope for a great watch come UFC 276.