Paulo Costa vs Israel Adesanya is one of the most anticipated Middleweight title fights in the modern history of the UFC. With a deep-rooted disdain for each other, fans are nearly divided 50/50 on who to support, as well as who will win the fight. Heading into the fight, Costa seems to have the ultimate confidence against the champion. So much so, that in the past, he predicted to knock him out in the 2nd round. Now, Costa believes that he already has won the fight mentally, due to Adesanya’s “loser mentality.”
Paulo Costa on Israel Adesanya
Costa has become very vocal in regards to his thoughts on the matchup. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Costa spoke about the matchup against Adesanya. And, how he thinks that he has won the mental warfare leading up to the fight.
“Anything can happen. Anything can happen, but he tends to… Someone who has fear, someone who has afraid, tends to gets even more scared,” Costa said. “Like he did against (Yoel) Romero, just waiting there, letting time to go by. I don’t know. But the reality is, I don’t care. You’re talking a lot about Adesanya, but the truth is I don’t care. I don’t care what he’s going to do, I don’t care what he’s going to think. That doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is me and my training. What really matters for me to win is myself being well, you know?’
“Thinking about your opponent is a loser’s mentality, that’s something people do when they lack confidence and have issues with themselves. I don’t worry about him. Don’t care how he comes, I just worry about myself. I always focus on my training. When I’m in my best, no one can stop me. It doesn’t matter what he does. He’s showing signs that he’s uncomfortable, let’s put it this way so I don’t use bad words here, but I don’t care. I’m focused on myself. I have a champion’s mindset and that’s going to happen soon.”
Anticipating the Fight
At this point, it won’t be a secret how both men approach the fight. The more interviews that come out, the more each man reveals what they want to do in the fight, and how they want to do it. Now, all that is left, is for both men to finally face off.
