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Israel Adesanya believes that the MMA community is getting behind Khamzat Chimaev the same way they did Paulo Costa.
Several analysts have recently stated that 'The Last Stylebender' would have a difficult match-up against 'Borz'. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo even recently tipped the Swede to beat Adesanya in a potential title fight.
During a recent conversation on the True Geordie Podcast, Israel Adesanya made a comparison between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev. The 32-year-old stated that he likes it when people make him tap into his "dark side," saying:
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"I wanted to fight this guy [Costa] when he was this Adonis and put him on a pedestal. Like, 'Listen, I want to fight this guy. I want to f*** him up.' I feel like that's the same thing with Chimaev right now. Everyone's doing the same thing and riding off that energy. I like when people wake that side of me up. It's in there. I know it's in there, my dark side. I just don't tap into it because I can't live in that place for too long."
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Check out Adesanya's appearance on the True Geordie Podcast:
Costa was an undefeated rising star in the UFC, much like Chimaev currently is. The Brazilian, however, was destroyed by Adesanya during their UFC 253 title bout, and has not won since.
Will Khamzat Chimaev and Israel Adesanya cross paths anytime soon?
'Borz' has fought twice at middleweight in the UFC. He hopes to eventually win the 185 lbs title. However, his sights appear to be set on the welterweight division for the time being. Khamzat Chimaev has been linked to a bout with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 but it hasn't been confirmed by the UFC.
Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya is targeting June for a potential return to the octagon. 'The Last Stylebender's' next opponent is expected to be Jared Cannonier, who put on an impressive showing at UFC 271. Cannonier defeated Derek Brunson by second-round KO. The City Kickboxing product is looking to "put on a show" after critics accused him of playing it safe in his last two title defenses.
Much like Chimaev, Adesanya also still harbors ambitions of holding a title in multiple weight classes. Despite his loss to Jan Blachowicz, he is eager to have another crack at light heavyweight gold.
Watch this video of Adesanya's rise to the top:
