Israel Adesanya explains why he got annoyed when Paulo Costa handed him white belt during UFC 253 face-off
Israel Adesanya recently opened up about his scuffle with Paulo Costa ahead of their middleweight title bout at UFC 253.
During their pre-fight conference, Costa pulled out a white belt and hurled it at Adesanya. This was an attempt to ridicule the champion's grappling skills. Adesanya then flung the belt right back. The action sparked a brief brawl, which was immediately broken up before the fighters could reach each other.
In a recent appearance on The Brilliant Idiots podcast, Israel Adesanya explained how Costa reminded him of the bullies he used to face when he was younger. The reigning middleweight champion also stated that the UFC proved to be a therapeutic journey for him as it allowed him to express his "past trauma" through fighting.
Speaking about the incident, 'The Last Stylebender' said:
"I felt like he was a quintessential jock or bully that I had to deal with coming up cause I got picked on a lot being a skinny black kid in a town that didn't have many like me. He just reminded me of all these c**ts I used to deal with back in the day and the way he was acting before the fight just being a bully and I was just like, 'I want to take the bite off the bully.' So, I had to become what I hated and be the bully."
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interview on the The Brilliant Idiots podcast below:
'The Last Stylebender' and Paulo Costa squared off against each other at the main event of UFC 253 back in 2020. The Nigerian-born New Zealander retained his middleweight title by defeating Costa via a second-round TKO.
#UFC253WHAT A STATEMENT 🙌
Israel Adesanya ends the rivalry with Paulo Costa inside two rounds with a dominant display!
It was THAT easy 😳 #UFC253 https://t.co/jxdchos1zf
Israel Adesanya calls Jake Paul "crazy"; lauds his dedication for boxing
On the same podcast, Israel Adesanya commended YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul's dedication towards boxing. Adesanya was of the belief that Paul was indeed "serious" about boxing, contrary to the popular belief that 'The Problem Child' was doing it for clout.
Sharing his thoughts on Jake Paul, the middleweight kingpin said:
"Nah, Jake Paul's no joke man. This is the thing, when he fought Nate Robinson, I was there. I commentated that fight, right. And, I ended up at his house later on... Being at his house, talking to him, we talked for a long time and then I kind of realized, like, man, this guy, he's crazy. And guess what? Those are the ones that get it done... He was serious about boxing. People just thought, like, he's just doing this for fun, he's just doing this to try and make money, or get clout or whatever, but I was like, no... And he's got all the funds. All the access to be able to get it done."
Jake Paul has risen to be one of the most popular figures in combat sports. Standing at 5-0, 'The Problem Child' has defeated the likes of former UFC fighters Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.