UFC 241: Paulo Costa says he would 'kill' Israel Adesanya, that 'The Last Stylebender' doesn't have a chance against him

Steven Muehlhausen

UFC 241: Paulo Costa says he would 'kill' Israel Adesanya, that 'The Last Stylebender' doesn't have a chance against him image

Paulo Costa earned the biggest win of his MMA career during Saturday's UFC 241, defeating Yoel Romero by unanimous decision.

The bout, which was deemed the "Fight of the Night," ran the Brazilian's record to 13-0 and put him in line to face the winner of the middleweight title unification bout at UFC 243 on Oct. 5 between champion Robert Whittaker and interim titleholder Israel Adesanya. 

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Even though he plans to be in Australia for the event, Costa made it clear that there's "absolutely" no way he will be the standby fighter in case Whittaker or Adesanya gets injured. When picking a winner, Costa didn't shy away from saying Whittaker would become the undisputed champion, but made it clear he wouldn't mind getting his hands on "The Last Style Bender." 

"I think Whittaker will beat Adesanya," Costa said at his post-fight press conference. "But I beat Romero, and for me, Romero beat Robert Whittaker. But if Adesanya won, take the belt, man I could kill that guy. He’s very skinny. He does not have a chance against me. It’s personal."

The comments made by Costa relate to Adesanya criticizing his middleweight counterpart's performance against Uriah Hall and saying he knows they will meet down the line. Costa hopes it's for the middleweight title and not a non-title affair.

"I would like to face Israel Adesanya so I hope he beat Whittaker, so the next opponent can be me," Costa said. 

Whittaker and Adesanya are two of the toughest guys not only at 185 pounds, but in the UFC. The 28-year-old feels the way he looked in his performance against Romero will make Whittaker and Adesanya think twice about entering the octagon with the hulking sensation.

"I think the both of them look at me and are scared because both guys know they have a very, very tough guy looking for them," Costa said.

 

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.