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UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has condemned the recent trail of excuses offered by Paulo Costa as the justification for his defeat to Israel Adesanya.
Taking to Twitter, Alexander Volkanovski replied to Paulo Costa's claims of being drunk the night before facing Israel Adesanya. 'The Eraser' mentioned earlier this week that he could not sleep and drank wine to help him with the same.
Costa recently stated on Twitter that if he showed up sober to fight Adesanya, he would have remained undefeated. To this, Israel Adesanya's teammate took offense.
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Paulo Costa commented on Volkanovski's criticism by mocking the 145-lbs champion for his height. In reply, Volkanovski referenced Israel Adesanya's famous dig at Paulo Costa and compared the Brazilian to Spanish songwriter Ricky Martin.
Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski train alongside each other at City Kickboxing Gym in Auckland. The gym has established itself for churning out elite MMA prospects. Apart from the two UFC champions, the gym is home to Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, along with other rising prospects.
Alexander Volkanovski has shifted his training camp to Sydney for his next bout. 'The Great' will face off against Brian 'T-City' Ortega in the co-main event at UFC 260.
Who is Paulo costa fighting next?
Paulo Costa will go up against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker next. The fight is scheduled for March 17th and will headline UFC Fight Night 189.
If victorious, Paulo Costa may get a shot at redemption against Israel Adesanya. The champion has clarified that he will certainly move back to 185-lbs to defend his belt.
In a recent exposition on YouTube, Paulo Costa revealed his camp made last-minute changes to his fighting approach at UFC 253. It would have been wise, Costa added, to pull out from fighting that night on Fight Island.
"To that fight against [Israel] Adesanya, I used only 10 or 20% of my capacity. We had to change our strategy in the changing room. 'Do not attack him. Let's just wait for the first two rounds,' we agreed on. It was a mistake. Today, we know it was a mistake. The right thing to do would have been not to fight", said Paulo Costa.
Paulo Costa's next opponent, Robert Whittaker, is riding a two-fight win streak. His last opponent was Jared Cannonier, who was set to be the next contender for Adesanya's belt. Whittaker, however, dominated 'The Killa Gorilla' and secured a unanimous decision victory. Whittaker recently predicted a third-round finish for his next fight.
