UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya returned recently to Submission Radio, and discussed Paulo Costa, his challenger at UFC 253 on September 26. The pair enjoyed a contention appearance on ESPN SportsCenter, but the trash talk began even before the live broadcast.
Even before the interview kicked off, when I saw him initially, I asked him a few questions that he couldn’t really give me a straight answer to – the last time he got tested, said Adesanya. I told him, I got tested twice in the last three weeks. Twice in the last three weeks. At night, cause they tried to catch me off guard. … I’ve been tested over 30 times.”
I know what it’s like. I’m from Lagos City, Nigeria. I know what it’s like in certain countries where money talks. Where if you flash your gun, people act a certain way. You’ve heard stories about Brazil with people running up to gyms to test people and then they’re not compliant of certain things. But I don’t mind. I just like bringing that up cause I want it to be known, cause I said on record, I’m gonna pop him before USADA pops him. So, I’m gonna beat him. And then when he gets popped by USADA down the line, I’ll be like, yup, I still whooped his ass even when he was on steroids. That would make a great story.
I know I’m under his skin already. I kind of wish this was, what do you call it, BC, before corona. I wish it was BC, because that way it would be a press conference around different countries or different cities, and I could see him face to face and I could actually give him s*** and really dig under his skin. But he’s very easy to get under his skin.
“If we run into each other, I don’t care if he wants to throw down, we can throw down. I have my whole crew with me. I’ll have the gang with me. You don’t understand. I’ve got the gang with me. So, if he wants to try something stupid with white glasses and f***ing cringe King whoever, bring it. My gang versus your gang. But I’d rather whoop his ass in the cage. So, he better not try something stupid.
He’s good at what he does. Like, he’s very imposing, he’s got a size on him and he marches people down and just beats them up against the fence. That’s his game. But, oh f***, it’s such a clique to say before every f****ing fight, ‘Oh, he’s never faced anyone like me’. But he hasn’t faced anyone like me. Like, he’s only beat two guys that are ranked. I’ve beat like four or five guys that are ranked. Even six maybe. F***in’, I lost count. … I just think he’s gotten so far to where he is with good basics and a little bit of luck. But we all have that in our lives, put it that way.
It’s going to push me into the next level of a stratosphere, the way I finish this guy. Cause I’m telling you, I had plans for the last fight. … But things happened, things happened, and this fight is gonna be what I expected it to be. I’ve never been in a boring fight in my life. That was my first one and last one. So, this fight I’m gonna pick up where I left off. I needed a dip in my story, and that was the dip in my story. So, now we move on, on and on.
The UFC has been using a smaller cage, and some have argued that it will favor Costa. Adesanya argues that it won’t.
F*** no,” explained Adesanya. Some people are so dumb. Put it this way, the kickboxing ring in Glory is way smaller than the smallest Octagon the UFC has, and I fought a world- guy who does what? Throws body shots, walks you down, and throws legs kicks; same as Paulo. I fought him in that and was able to use footwork to be able to dance around him and stick him. And the ring as well, the kickboxing ring has corners that are easier to trap you in. People say, ‘oh, the small cage is better for it.’ I’m like, no, look at what I did in a small cage the last time I fought in a small cage. I toyed with the guy for five rounds, and there was a beautiful display of technique, skill, footwork, grappling, everything. So, I don’t know what people… I think it’s just the casuals. The casuals are the one’s that are like, f***, it needs to be in Vegas so he can’t run. Like, b****, I’ll dance circles around him and stick him at the same time till he bleeds to death.
