Paulo Costa (photo via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa continue trade verbal shots as their title fight approaches, but according to the latter, he’s already in the champ’s head.

Costa has been booked to fight the middleweight champ at UFC 253, September 26th. Recently the rivals appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter, and during their exchanges, Adesanya showed off several awards he’s won.

Since then, Costa spoke with Submission Radio, and while discussing that exchange, he said this (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“If you really believe you’re very good, you don’t need to show this kind of stuff. But he froze. And this is what he did when he met a potential competitor, a real competitor like me – like he froze against Romero. He’s used to doing that. He called out Jon Jones to fight. And then when Jon Jones accepted his challenge, he said, ‘no, I’m not prepared yet, I need one or two years to get more weight, to get more muscle to fight Jon Jones’. So, Adesanya, unfortunately he is this kind of guy who freezes when he faces a real competitor.”

“He already knows he’s in trouble. How I can damage him, how I can hit him badly. So, that’s why I think I messed with his mind,” Costa said. “I’m not worried about him. He’s good, he’s fast, quick. But I also know he cannot damage me. He cannot inflict a lot of damage on me because I’m stronger than him, and he’s not the kind of guy who comes with a hard punch, just counter punches. So I’m not worried about him for this fight. But he’s a bunch messed up in his mind for this fight.”

At UFC 253, Costa (13-0) will be competing for the first time since last August, when he beat Yoel Romero via unanimous decision.

Adesanya (19-0) is also coming off a decision win over Romero, as he defeated the powerful wrestler in March.