UFC middleweight Paulo Costa signed the contract for his championship match against Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya vs Costa is long overdue. The duo has been on a collision course for a while now. Originally, they were supposed to face off against each other early this year. However, Costa’s bicep injury delayed the bout. Consequently, Yoel Romero stepped up as a replacement.
Paulo Costa makes a huge announcement
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In a recent tweet, Costa told the world that he has already signed the contract. “The Eraser” now expects Adesanya to do the same.
The contract has signed motherfuckers . Newest billionaire in the spot 15 $$$ pic.twitter.com/MUxTv9TcYQ
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 21, 2020
Based on his tweet, it seems like Costa has struck gold. Previously, the Brazilian demanded 15 million to fight Adesanya and to coach on The Ultimate Fighter. But as of now, it is unclear whether Costa has agreed to do both.
Read: Paulo Costa Wants a Jon Jones Payday to Coach The Ultimate Fighter and Fight Israel Adesanya
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Costa adopt the role of a coach since Dana White has already announced the return of TUF last month.
White mentioned Usman/Covington, Usman/Masvidal, Adesanya/Costa and Khabib/Tony or Justin as strong candidates as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter’s return.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 6, 2020
Paulo Costa vs Israel Adesanya: How do they match up?
Costa is a dangerous middleweight with brutal power in his hands. He may not have the cleanest striking but he can separate people from their consciousness with ease. Additionally, his intense pressure poses a serious threat to fighters in the early rounds.
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Adesanya, on the other hand, is one of the best strikers in the UFC. He might not look threatening but he can surely knock out anybody in the division. Many critics believe that Costa will be an easy fight for Adesanya because of “The last Stylebender’s” slick counters.
Since Costa is also known to slow down after the second round, it will be easy for Adesanya to pick his shots and end the show. However, he must weather the early storm first, and avoid staying in the pocket.