Paulo Costa feels Israel Adesanya is 'afraid' of him; will possibly avoid UFC Championship fight

Paulo Costa is not happy with Israel Adesanya and does not really think much of the UFC Middleweight Champion, something that he has made increasingly clear recently. Talking about a potential fight with Adesanya, Costa said that he was not sure if it would take place because the Champion was one to avoid fights.

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Paulo Costa calls out Israel Adesanya on being afraid of him

Paulo Costa feels that Israel Adesanya does not want to fight him. After Adesanya's successful but controversial title defense against Yoel Romero, Costa has made his thoughts about him very clear.

He said that the Champ was afraid and brought up the time Adesanya challenged Jon Jones, but then said he would need time to train when it looked like it was a possibility.

“He’s not a (respectable) guy. The only problem (fighting) Adesanya is he’s afraid. I need to remember, he asked Jon Jones to fight against him. Jon Jones said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ Dana White agreed. And Adesanya said, ‘I need two years to train.’ So be careful, because he’s afraid. If he gets the win (against Romero), he can avoid this fight against me.” h/t MMA Junkie

Costa went on to say that his fight with Adesanya would be for more than the belt and that it was 'personal' between them.

Costa was the one who was supposed to be challenging Adesanya initially, but a bicep injury meant that he could not do so. Now, with Adesanya's future yet to be determined, it seems the build-up to the title fight will be a heated one.