"Kickboxing fight with MMA gloves" - Paulo Costa predicts outcome of Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira, eyes rematch with the champion in future (Exclusive)

Paulo Costa recently predicted how the upcoming title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will play out. According to the former middleweight title challenger, the bout will turn out to be a kickboxing duel with MMA gloves. 'Borrachinha' told Andrew Whitelaw in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"I don't put attention [to] this. But I think would be kind of a kickboxing fight with MMA gloves, something like that."

Asked to pick a winner for the UFC 281 headliner, the Brazilian said:

"Just god knows."

Paulo Costa began his UFC journey with an impressive five-fight winning streak, culminating in a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 in 2020. 'Borrachinha' was completely outclassed by the reigning champion en route to a second-round TKO loss, followed by a humiliating dry hump gesture.

Costa then went on to drop a lopsided unanimous decision against Marvin Vettori last year and has been out of action since. The Brazilian is scheduled to return to the octagon this weekend at UFC 278 against former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, who is also coming off a three-year long hiatus.

Costa isn't sure of his immediate future and has not given up on the idea of a title shot if he emerges victorious against Rockhold. However, the Brazilian has his eyes set on a rematch against Adesanya at some point in his career. Asked about the one matchup he desires most, 'Borrachinha' told Whitelaw:

"Again, Adesanya for sure. But I have the biggest goal is get the belt in the second one... And give him what he deserves."

Watch Costa's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:

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Paulo Costa rules out boxing match against Jake Paul, wants to face "professional fighters"

Paulo Costa is contemplating a career in boxing, be it after his retirement from MMA. However, 'Borrachinha' isn't eyeing a matchup against YouTuber-turned-professional-boxer, Jake Paul.

Costa lauded Paul's contribution to the world of combat sports and the overall attention he has brought to the sport. While the Brazilian, for a moment, joked about knocking out Paul, he immediately confirmed that he had no such plans. 'Borrachinha' wants to fight high-level "professional fighters" when he ventures into pugilism. The 31-year-old further told Andrew Whitelaw:

"Jake Paul is a sweet, nice guy. He's doing great things for the sports, the all combat sports. Bringing different people for this world. But yeah, maybe [laughs]. No, I don't have hope to fight Jake Paul, he's lighter. No, I'm talking about the professional fighters, right?! You know, very high level guys."

For Indian readers:

Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 278 - Usman vs Edwards on SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 21st August 2022 from 7:30 am IST