Paulo Costa answers fan questions about Conor McGregor's NSFW debacle, viral Israel Adesanya clip, and more ahead of UFC 318

UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa addressed several questions during an online Q&A session with fans. Costa is set to face Roman Kopylov at this weekend's UFC 318 pay-per-view event. Recently, he invited fans on X to ask their questions for him to answer.

Check out Paulo Costa's X post below:

One fan posted a particularly uncomfortable question, referencing a controversial moment from Costa's professioal MMA career.

For context, after his knockout win over Costa at UFC 253 in September 2020, Israel Adesanya made an indecent gesture while Costa was face down on the canvas. The fan shared a video clip of the incident and asked Costa:

"Why’d you let this happen to you?"

Costa, who was partially unconscious at the time of the incident, replied:

"I don't."

Another fan inquired about a recent controversy involving Conor McGregor. Around McGregor's 37th birthday on July 14, rapper Azealia Banks posted screenshots on X that allegedly contained direct messages from McGregor.

In these supposed messages, the Irishman shared naked pictures of himself, including one picture that showed a dumbbell tied to his genitals, captioned "Lifting Weights". The accompanying text message implied threats if she revealed the pictures.

In light of this, the fan asked Costa:

"Do you also lift weights like Conor?"

Costa, who had previously reacted to the incident on social media, jokingly replied:

"I have tried a few years ago."

Another fan questioned:

"Did you see Conor's d*ck?"

Costa replied:

"No, and I'm happy with that."

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Paulo Costa refuses to acknowledge rising middleweight contender's threat

Former ONE FC champion Reinier de Ridder has made a significant impact since joining the UFC, with all three of his victories coming by way of finishes. With a well-rounded skill set, de Ridder is considered one of the more promising future title contenders in the middleweight division.

In the aforementioned online Q&A session, a fan asked Paulo Costa about 'The Dutch Knight':

"What are your thoughts on Reinier de Ridder?"

Costa gave a cold reply, writing:

"I don't know him."