Coach Says Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa Will Be Greatest Middleweight Title Bout

Paulo Costa’s coach believes the likely title bout between his fighter and champion Israel Adesanya will be one to remember.

Adesanya and Costa are likely to collide sometime this year. Costa would’ve received the title opportunity back in March but he was still recovering from surgery. Adesanya ended up successfully defending his 185-pound gold against Yoel Romero, winning via unanimous decision.

Speaking to BJPenn.com, Costa’s coach Eric Albarracin said he has high expectations for his fighter’s potential clash with Adesanya.

“Paulo Costa vs Adesanya will be the greatest middleweight title fight in history. These two hate each other, they are at each other’s throats,” Albarracin said to BJPENN.com. “When we went to UFC 243, Adesanya called him Ricky Martin, and he does look like Ricky Martin but he hits like Mike Tyson. Adesanya will not step out of the cage there, Costa will erase him.”

Costa has expressed his dislike for Adesanya. The Brazilian bruiser believes Adesanya is cocky. Back in Oct. 2019 following his undisputed middleweight title win over Robert Whittaker, Adesanya called out Costa and called him an “overly inflated balloon animal.”

Adesanya is undefeated in his pro MMA career with a record of 19-0. “The Last Stylebender” has beaten the likes of Romero, Whittaker, and Kelvin Gastelum. Costa is also on an unbeaten streak. His perfect record sits at 13-0. “Borrachinha” has wins over Romero, Uriah Hall, and former UFC welterweight champion Johnny Hendricks.