Paulo Costa says he will not chase Israel Adesanya inside the Octagon

Paulo Costa has a different perception of his upcoming fight against Israel Adesanya compared to that of most fight fans. While it is widely expected that Costa, who is known for possessing vicious knockout power in his hands, will chase Adesanya in the search for a killer blow during their middleweight title clash this weekend, the Brazilian believes otherwise.

Paulo Costa is known for his aggressive mindset inside the Octagon while his opponent Adesanya is known to adopt a more cautious and counter-striking approach during fights. That led many people to believe that Paulo Costa will be doing most of the chasing inside the cage.

Talking about his fight with Paulo Costa in a recent interview with ESPN, Adesanya revealed that even he expects Costa to walk forward and throw haymakers at him.

“He’s dumb and he walks forward and he throws shots. That’s what makes it really exciting, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to this big, inflated ignoramus, running up on me, trying to throw shots as I keep moving and sticking him. He’s not scared to walk forward and just throw, and he’s strong.”

Paulo Costa won't take the bait

However, Paulo Costa begs to differ. The Brazilian knockout artist said that he doesn't plan on chasing Adesanya inside the Octagon during their fight. Instead, Costa says he will look to cut angles and get up close and personal with the champ.

“First of all, I think he’s a [counter-striker],” Costa said at Wednesday’s UFC 253 media day (via MMA Fighting). “Everybody here saw when he fought Romero. If one guy doesn’t push him, he will not push out. He stood, the guy came for him. So I will try to push him, to bring him to the fight, but if he avoid the fight I will not chase him all the time. I will go back to the middle and cut the angles and try to make the fight happen. My punches have ‘the correct address to arrive.’”