Top UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has set a high price to coach at ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and fight current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Last month in an interview with ESPN, Dana White confirmed that the organisation is working on the latest season of TUF. White stated that Usman/Covington, Usman/Masvidal, Adesanya/Costa and Khabib/Tony or Justin as strong candidates as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter’s return.
While all the mentioned choices are excellent for TUF coaches, the most intriguing ones for fans is Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa.
Last night, Paulo Costa sparked a conversation on twitter about being the coach for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.
BN : The ultimate fighter Adelasanha x Costa
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020
Who likes that match?
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020
“BN: The ultimate fighter Adelasanha x Costa. Who likes that match?,” Costa tweeted.
Not done deal yet
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020
I want 15 million like Jon
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020
“Not done deal yet. I want 15 million like Jon,” Costa added.
He then further clarified that he also wanted PPV points for the fight.
Plus PPV. Don’t forget PPV it’s very important. https://t.co/f9WDFbDbQ5
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 19, 2020
It’s highly unlikely that Costa would be paid $15 Million by the UFC. However, it’s an intriguing match-up, which Dana White has previously stated that it will take place later this year.
Paulo Costa was supposed to fight Israel Adesanya in March earlier this year. But the Brazilian had to undergo an arm surgery that forced him to remain out of the Octagon for almost eight months.
This resulted in UFC matching up Israel Adesanya with Yoel Romero at UFC 248 despite the Cuban being coming off of two back to back loses.
Paulo Costa: Israel Adesanya is a fake champion
In an interview with BJPenn last September, Costa has expressed his dislike for Israel Adesanya and stated that the Kiwi was a fake champion. The bad blood between both the fighters has been brewing for quite some time now.
“I can beat both. I think Adesanya is a fake champion. He hasn’t fought anyone tough, he is a skinny clown. I have a personal problem with him,” Paulo Costa said in September before Adesanya fought Whittaker. “If he beats Whittaker, which I don’t think, I’m going to kill him. He doesn’t stand a chance against me. As for Whittaker, he is good, tough guy. He is not as strong as Yoel, so I can take him. He is like Yoel with less power, so I can beat both of them. I really want Adesanya, though.”
Israel Adesanya confident about beating Paulo Costa
Israel Adesanya is extremely confident of beating Costa if they fought. Last year, he appeared on the Ariel Helwani Show, where he revealed that a fight with the Brazilian will turn out to be the exact same way as Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo.
“You know one thing that fight reminded me of? McGregor-Aldo,” Adesanya said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
“It will happen. I know how to push his buttons. He’s such a meathead, I can push his buttons and make him do what I want him to do. Counter him,” Adesanya said. “People were always used to my linear attacks, they didn’t know about my lateral attacks. My hooks. They thought when I started countering Rob, they forget that’s what I first started doing when I started kickboxing. I was a counter striker. I went back to my roots, and I was just hitting from all angles. Like literally hitting him from all angles. Even when I was in ‘The Matrix’, caught him with an uppercut. So Paula is a guy, he’s a really aggressive bull, but I can be a matador.” Adesanya concluded. (H/T – BJPenn.com)
Who do you guys think wins this fight?
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