Paulo Costa finally responds to criticism he received for claiming he was drunk before Israel Adesanya showdown at UFC 253

Paulo Costa has been on the receiving end of criticism ever since he revealed that he fought Israel Adesanya after drinking a bottle of wine the night before. He said that he could not sleep because of leg cramps and decided to drink to make himself fall asleep, as a result of which he was not at his hundred percent the next morning inside the octagon.

While that explains why 'Borrachinha' fell so significantly short in his title opportunity at UFC 253, nothing really excuses the action itself. In the little fans saw of Paulo Costa before he was knocked out midway through the second round, the lack of his trademark aggression and fighting prowess were noted. His aggression and ability had helped him to get to his 13-0 record in MMA until he faced Israel Adesanya.

Needless to say, Paulo Costa has been receiving his fair share of reproval for his actions. In a social media post earlier today, he cleared the air on where he stood in terms of drinking before the fight.

"Jokes aside, if you're going to drive don't drink, if you're going to fight ditto. Only in cases of emergency. Peace," Paulo Costa wrote.

Paulo Costa's older brother and head coach, Carlos Borracha, also confirmed the story in an interview with Sherdog.

"He arrived in Abu Dhabi weighing 211 lbs., and because of that, we needed to train a lot in the [days before] the fight. Due to that, after the weigh ins, he felt a lot of cramps that prevented him [from sleeping]. It was 2:30 [a.m.] when he decided to drink wine to try to sleep until 5 a.m., when he had to wake up and go to the event. Of course, if I was with him in the room, I wouldn't allow him."

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Israel Adesanya: Paulo Costa needs to handle the L like a man

Paulo Costa has also taken to social media previously to claim that "sober" Costa is undefeated, which has obviously not sat well with his conqueror, Israel Adesanya.

Sober Costa still undefeated 💉

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) March 3, 2021

In an interview with BT Sport, Israel Adesanya addressed Paulo Costa's comments and stated that his opponent needs to handle his loss and move on to do better in his next fight, which is against Robert Whittaker on April 17, 2021.