Adesanya exudes confidence after sizing up rival
Israel Adesanya says his brief encounter with Paulo Costa confirmed what he already thought about the muscle-bound Brazilian – he’s all bark and no bite.
The undefeated rivals, who square off for the middleweight title at UFC 253 on Sunday (NZ time), had a surprisingly civil conversation when they crossed paths at their ‘Fight Island’ hotel in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
Given the bad blood between them, many would have expected a repeat of the fireworks that erupted during their previous interactions, particularly under the tense atmosphere of fight week.
But for the champion, it was a chance to size up his opponent before getting down to business and he took away far more than the casual observer.
‘‘I went there, sized him up, patted him on the shoulder to feel how dense he is,’’ Adesanya said during his pre-fight press conference. ‘‘I shook his hand because I wanted to feel the kind of pressure he put on from a guy that said ‘I would not shake his hand when I beat him’ . . .
‘‘He’s just like one of those dogs who barks behind the fence but when the fence opens up he comes around and is real timid. I could feel that off him and it’s the energy.
‘‘I even said he looks skinny. I expected him to take that the wrong way but he and Wallid [Ismail, Costa’s manager] were just giggling like little girls’’.
Unsurprisingly, Costa had a different take, claiming the Nigerian-Kiwi ‘‘changed his persona’’ from previous meetings.
Ultimately, what really matters is how they respond in the octagon and knockout artist Costa says anyone who thinks he is just a brawler who lacks the precision of an expert striker like Adesanya is in for a surprise.
‘‘That’s exactly what I try to show everybody, but people have some thoughts that he’s the sniper and I’m just the tough guy who throws heavy punches but I’m not,’’ Costa said. ‘‘My punches have the correct address.’’
The hype around this matchup has been building for some time.
It’s only the second time in UFC history that two undefeated fighters have fought for an undisputed title and UFC president Dana White predicted it to be the fight of the year.
However, Adesanya had a more measured view on the matchup that will take place behind closed doors.
‘‘I know it’s a big fight, I know I’m going to do well,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t know if it’s because there’s no fanfare and less media, but I feel like it’s just another fight, another day in the office.’’
But what will give the bout a lasting impression, according to ‘The Last Stylebender’, is the image of him proving that you don’t always need big muscles to win big fights.
‘‘People say it’s going to be the fight of the year, like Dana White. But that’s only if he’s tough enough to actually take a beating from me for five rounds. I just don’t think his gas tank is going to hold up,’’ Adesanya said.
‘‘I’m not downplaying the stakes. I feel like for my legacy it’s just the look of it. People are still fooled by muscles and big juice-heads and think that’s what a fighter looks like, especially the casuals.
‘‘Once they see this skinny clown, supposedly, beat this muscly buffoon . . . it’s going to blow their minds, especially in the fashion I’m going to do it.’’
‘‘I feel like it’s just another fight, another day in the office.’’ Israel Adesanya