Middleweight title winner Israel Adesanya of New Zealand celebrates after defeating Robert Whittaker of Australia during the middleweight title bout of the UFC 243 fight night in Melbourne on October 6, 2019. (Photo by ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel Adesanya defends his UFC Middleweight title against Paulo Costa at UFC 253 and his weight cut seems to be going well
UFC stars often have to cut weight before a fight and that is more often than not the toughest part of getting ready for a fight.
Missing out on weight leads to financial penalties for athletes, and they are barred from winning titles too.
One big title clash takes place on Saturday as Israel Adesanya faces Paulo Costa. The pair have one of the most heated rivalries in the UFC and will fight for the Middleweight title.
Adesanya is the current champion and is 19-0 in his career while Costa is also undefeated with a 13-0 record.
The Kiwi-Nigerian star decided to share his weight cut and posted how much he was just a few days ahead of the fight.
Adesanya was still a little off the 85 kg mark needed and clocked in at 87.7 kg. While Dan Hooker posted he was also on the same weight, Adesanya added that this was going to be easy:
Losing three kg in a few days shouldn’t be a problem for a UFC star and Adesanya should be able to make weight.
The bigger question surrounds Costa, who has a bigger build. The Brazilian was almost 15 kg overweight around a month back, and losing a pound a day leading up to the fight might affect his performance.
Costa has to train during this time but cutting weight will take a toll on his body. Several title matches have been hindered by a fighter missing weight, and hopefully, nothing of that sort happens to Borrachinha.
The pair did meet at Fight Island before the clash and it seemed they were on decent terms. However, both Costa and Adesanya have hit out at their rival leading up to the fight, and the bad blood could spill over one the clash starts.
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