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Paulo Costa and his manager appear to be ready for war as the Brazilian’s clash with Marvin Vettori approaches.
Wallid Ismail is currently in the midst of assisting Paulo Costa as he prepares to tackle Marvin Vettori later this year. The pair are set to square off in a fight that will have huge implications for the UFC middleweight division. Both men are coming off the back of a loss to current 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya.
The return of Paulo Costa beckons
Paulo Costa has been out of action the longest out of the two men. Given the perceived “excuses” he made after the Adesanya loss, it’s safe to say all eyes will be on him to see whether or not he can rectify his errors on October 23.
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As per Ismail, they’re feeling quite prepared with just over two months to go until fight night.
“He’s coming back. There is no doubt. The determination, the focus right now is huge. This time more than ever. This is the most important fight of your life. Destroy Vettori - destroy! Everything or nothing.”
Paulo Costa's reputation has quite clearly been damaged. However, if he is able to get back in the win column against someone like Vettori, it’d serve as a huge boost in his quest for middleweight gold.
He probably wouldn’t immediately get back to another shot against Adesanya. However, even if that’s the case, we imagine Paulo Costa would be more than happy to take another fight if it means earning another tussle with 'The Last Stylebender'.
Marvin Vettori isn’t going to give Paulo Costa an easy ride in this fight. We’re probably going to see a lot of wrestling take place. However, many believe 'The Eraser' should be viewed as the favorite given just how dominant he was in the lead-up to the Israel fight.
Some believe a win here could set him on a Francis Ngannou-type trajectory. For the time being, simply winning and focusing on improving his mental and physical wellbeing needs to be the priority.
