With middleweight champion Robert Whittaker sidelined after surgery, would-be title challenger Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya were chosen to compete for the UFC’s interim 185-pound title.
According to Paulo Costa, however, it could have been different.
Speaking to Brazilian YouTube channel Encarada, Costa (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) said he was offered – and agreed to – a bout with Gastelum (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who meets Adesanya (16-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at UFC 236 on April 13. The offer, Costa said, came after an initial refusal by Adesanya.
“The UFC offered it to Adesanya, (and) he said ‘No, I don’t want to fight for the interim,’” Costa said in his native Portuguese. “Then, the UFC offered me the fight with Gastelum. I said, ‘I’ll take it.’ Then they talked to Adesanya again, and Adesanya said yes. Since I was already with (Yoel) Romero, they put Adesanya there and me with Romero.”
Costa is slated to meet Romero at UFC on ESPN 3, which takes place April 27 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, but he says he’ll be prepared and will even “start keeping my weight down” in case the opportunity to step in and compete for the interim title arises.
Either way, Costa believes a middleweight title is close.
“Regardless of who wins, Adesanya or Gastelum, when they fight for the title – if it happens, that fight for the title, because there can be injuries, a lot of things can happen – but if they fight for the undisputed title with Whittaker, I believe that, beating Romero, I’ll be next,” Costa said. “I’ll be awaiting this fight.”
Costa comes off a big win over fellow knockout artist Uriah Hall at last July’s UFC 226. Costa won via knockout – as he had done in the three octagon outings that came before. Costa has, in fact, yet to see a scorecard since his professional MMA debut back in 2012.
Also undefeated in his MMA career, Adesanya comes into the interim title bout with Gastelum following a win over his highest-profile opponent yet: former long-reigning UFC champion Anderson Silva. Adesanya took a clean sweep on the scorecards in the bout, which headlined UFC 234, but the task proved more competitive than the betting odds suggested it would be.
While there was general praise for Silva’s display following a long layoff, some of their colleagues were less than impressed with how “The Last Stylebender” faired against the much older foe. That group included Costa, who elaborated on his issues with Adesanya’s display.
“OK that it’s Anderson, but Anderson hadn’t fought in two years, (43 years old),” Costa said. “(Silva) offered him his face. It showed that (Adesanya) doesn’t have heart, that he doesn’t have that willingness to go for the kill, to go after him
“I think that, if (Adesanya) gets the title, it won’t be for long. I’m on my way. I’m arriving to make his life hell, as well as Gastelum’s, Romero’s, Whittaker’s.”
Whether it’s in a few weeks or not, Costa believes that a meeting with fellow fast-rising contender Adesanya is “inevitable.”
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