Israel Adesanya believes Paulo Costa’s mindset is the deciding factor in how he performs at UFC 318.
Costa is set to make his first appearance of 2025 when he takes part in the co-main event of UFC 318 in New Orleans on Saturday.
Currently sitting at No. 13 in the middleweight rankings, ‘Borrachinha’ will be helping to build up to Dustin Poirier’s retirement bout against Max Holloway, which headlines the card at Smoothie King Center.
Costa has had a rough stretch over the past five years, with just one win during that time. He’ll need to deliver something special against Roman Kopylov on July 19. In the lead-up to his return, Costa has heard some straightforward advice from a familiar face.
Israel Adesanya tells Paulo Costa to ‘get serious’ after poor run
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya took a look at the upcoming UFC 318 fight. The co-main event is in his division and features the man he beat in 2020 for his second title defence.
Adesanya didn’t hold back, making it clear that while being entertaining has its place, Costa needs to be focused if he wants to turn things around.
“Paulo Costa, where’s he been. Can’t remember,” Adesanya said.
“He is still a dangerous dude. … Costa! Show up, man! Just show up and f*** show them. Costa has got the goods, but I don’t know. Who is he training with now?
“Costa just needs to get serious again. Costa is fun, he is entertaining to watch…[but] just show some balls, man. Go back to who you were before you fought me.
“Take it more seriously. Just f*** everything else. … I do like Costa. I don’t think he is a bad guy. But again, just show some balls. Get back to being serious. Show up to fight. He’s had so many – like, once he didn’t make weight. Just show some balls, bro. Be motivated, be disciplined.”
Paulo Costa targets Khamzat Chimaev after a possible win at UFC 318
Costa hasn’t even stepped into the Octagon this Saturday yet, but he’s already looking ahead to what comes next.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘Borrachinha’ made it clear that he plans to call out Khamzat Chimaev if he gets past Kopylov at UFC 318.
“Chimaev. This son of a b****, I want to fight this guy,” Costa said.
“It has to happen…I’ll call his name (out) after UFC 318, if God gives me this victory…he needs to fight me and I need to fight him. Because, look, I’ve tried to fight him for a long time. Since our beef inside the UFC PI, he has been avoiding to fight me for a long time.
“He always says no, and the UFC has tried to put this match together, for about two years,” Costa added. “The UFC said he doesn’t want to fight me…I don’t respect him.”
Chimaev is set to challenge champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. If ‘Borz’ captures the title, Costa will likely have some more work ahead of him before earning another shot at championship gold.
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