UFC Champion Israel Adesanya Gives a Major U-Turn Statement About Middleweight Rival Paulo Costa

Israel Adesanya will come face to face against a long-time foe at UFC 281 when he fights Alex Pereira. The middleweight champion will put his title on the line as he looks to pull one back against the formidable Brazilian. As ‘Stylebender’ prepares for Pereira, he recently talked about another one of his Brazilian rivals- Paulo Costa.

Adesanya recently appeared on ‘The MMA Hour’ with Ariel Helwani. The New Zealander discussed his previous fights, his unique walkouts, and his rivalry with ‘Poatan’ among other things. He also gave his thoughts on former rival Paulo Costa’s current social media stunts.

Adesanya finds Paulo Costa entertaining

During their conversation, Helwani asked Adesanya about his opinion on Paulo Costa’s current personality. Costa has earned fans on social media because of his goofy posts with the ‘secret juice’ and his USADA trolls. His personality has changed a lot from how he was when he fought Adesanya in 2020.

‘Stylebender’ revealed that he followed Costa on Twitter. He jokingly asked Helwani not to tell Costa, as he did not wish to get blocked. Both Helwani and Adesanya agreed ‘Borrachinha‘ was funny. Despite finding Costa’s schtick a bit cringy, Adesanya said it was funny because of the way the Brazilian leaned into it with the USADA trolling, etc.

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Helwani recounted how Costa cut someone’s hair when he was on the show. “I like it. He’s entertaining. Put it that way. He’s entertaining,” the City Kick Boxing star commented. Adesanya also noted how he believed Costa was being his authentic self and wished him well for it.

Israel Adesanya took credit for Alex Pereira’s MMA career

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have clashed twice in their kickboxing days. Pereira won on both occasions- once via decision and the other via a knockout. The pair will meet each other for the third time at UFC 281, but this time it will be in MMA. They will throw down inside the famed UFC octagon at the legendary Madison Square Garden, New York.

As the trash talk between the two is heating, Adesanya claimed he is responsible for Pereira’s quick rise to the top in the UFC. He said,

“Without me, he wouldn’t be here.”

“Without me, he would’ve been exposed a long time ago. I cleared the way. I cleared the division, so there was not really anyone else to fight. I cleared the way for him to get to the top.”

Adesanya has fought the best that the UFC middleweight division offered. Meanwhile, Pereira has only had three fights since his UFC debut in 2021. The last of his wins came via the knockout of Sean Strickland.

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Fans are only days away from witnessing the third chapter of their rivalry. Do you think Adesanya can get the job done this time? Or will Pereira make it 3-0 against the champ? Let us know in the comments below.