Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa official; possible implication for Khabib Nurmagomedov's return
Dana White was asked just a few days ago about the status of Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Dana White said that nothing was holding it up - they just needed to make it official.
It seems as though the contracts have been signed as Ariel Helwani of ESPN confirmed on social media that the Kiwi Champion Israel Adesanya will defend the Middleweight title against Paulo Costa at UFC 253 on September 19th.
It's going to be an exciting fight. Paulo Costa was supposed to be Israel Adesanya's first challenger as the Undisputed Middleweight Champion, but an untimely shoulder injury kept him out for most of 2020.
In the meantime, Israel Adesanya had no desire to wait, so he demanded that the UFC book him against Yoel Romero. They fought at UFC 248 and it turned out to be an underwhelming main event, with Dana White admitting that in hindsight, he would have waited for Paulo Costa.
Their clash was always inevitable and Joe Rogan stated that he heard there were plans for them to be coaches when The Ultimate Fighter returned. Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman, however, denied the reports.
Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa could mean a delay in Khabib Nurmagomedov's return
Khabib Nurmagomedov was expected to return to face Justin Gaethje in Fight Island this September to unify the Lightweight Championship, but the confirmation of Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa all but confirms that a return at UFC 253 won't happen.
It seems unlikely that the UFC will put two big stars in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Israel Adesanya on the same PPV card. It's not surprising given the circumstances, i.e, Khabib Nurmagomedov's father recently passing away.
There seems to be no update on progress on the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje fight. It won't be surprising to see it booked at the end of the year.