Following a devastating loss in the title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, Paulo Costa had claimed he had sleep issues the night before the fight. So he drank a bottle of wine. However, these claims didn’t sit well with Marvin Vettori.
Recently, in an interaction with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Vettori said, “At the beginning, I thought it was an excuse. Then actually it seems like it’s actually happened. So by saying that, it’s actually even more shocking. Because I’m like holy f**k you can’t sleep and that’s what you are thinking of. I’m gonna drink a bottle of wine.”
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He added, “Like that is shocking, like an athlete of this level, not of this at this level, at least. Thinking about drinking a bottle of f**king wine a day before a fight. Like you are crazy like it don’t make no sense. Well try, try meditation, try there is an app called calm headspace, try something if not. I mean, I don’t know, like try something it’s about here.”
“It’s yourself not letting yourself sleep, so it’s about like that shows you don’t know your mind that well. You don’t know how to get yourself in a good spot…How would you even think about drinking a bottle of wine the night before a title fight?”
Marvin Vettori vs Paulo Costa: What lies next for the winner?
Both Vettori and Costa will head into battle at UFC Vegas 41 on the back of title fight defeats to Israel Adesanya. As ‘The Italian Dream’ sits at #5 in the rankings, a win may not be enough for him to get a title shot in his next fight. However, it will be a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Costa, who sits at #2 in the rankings, knows that a win will make him the prime candidate to fight the winner of Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker 2.
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Hence, UFC Vegas 41 is an important opportunity for both fighters.
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What are your thoughts on Vettori’s comments on Costa’s wine excuse? Who do you think will win the fight? Let us know in the comments.
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