Tag: ESPN UFC 253

Video: Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa verbally spar at UFC 253 press conference

Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are both confident that they’d have the edge if the fight went to the ground.

ABU DHABI – The talk between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] is heating up going into their UFC 253 title fight.

Though neither man has really gotten the opportunity to show of their ground game in the UFC, an argument sparked up when Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was asked if his jiu-jitsu background could be the difference in his fight against middleweight champion Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) on Saturday.

“Before becoming a striker, I was a grappler,” Costa told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Thursday’s UFC 253 press conference. “I’m a blackbelt in jiu-jitsu, my brother is here, my coach, and I have a lot of knowledge on BJJ and yes, this (ground game) can be on the fight also.”

Adesanya was quick to fire back, referencing Costa’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” stint and his loss to Marcio Alexandre that got him eliminated from the competition.

“He sucked as a grappler,” Adesanya interrupted. “Whenever he shoots, he loses his gas tank within the first or second shot.”

“You never saw my grappling,” Costa responded.

[lawrence-related id=554344,554173,554289,554265]

“No one needs to see your grappling, because you sucked,” Adesanya said. “You were on ‘TUF’ on the floor saying ‘No, I gave my all, I gave 100 percent.’ You can’t grapple for (expletive).”

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The two continued to go back-and-forth, with Costa claiming that Adesanya is a blue belt that “doesn’t even know how to do an armlock.”

They’ve been trading barbs ever since they were on each other’s radars, but when Adesanya and Costa ran into each other in the hallway of their hotel, their encounter was unexpectedly cordial, where both men sized each other up.

Both sides have given their opinion of what happened, accusing each other of acting “different” when they got face-to-face.

UFC 253 faceoff video: Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa, Dominick Reyes vs. Jan Blachowicz

The UFC 253 press conference concluded with Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa, Dominick Reyes vs. Jan Blachowicz title-fight faceoffs.

ABU DHABI – The athletes from UFC 253’s two title bouts had their first formal staredown of fight week following Thursday’s pre-fight news conference.

UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who puts his title on the line against Brazilian powerhouse [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in Saturday’s main event, capped off the festivities, and they were much more serious than their previous run-in shortly after arriving in town.

The co-headliners were all business, too. [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will fight [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight championship after Jon Jones vacated the belt in August.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=554289,554265]

Watch the video above to see the UFC 253 pre-fight press conference faceoffs with the title-fight athletes.

[jwplayer 8b43tTsi-RbnemIYZ]

Israel Adesanya calls media out for hypocrisy when addressing Colby Covington’s comments

Israel Adesanya sees a large problem in the way the media chooses to cover things.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] sees a large problem in the way the media chooses to cover certain key topics.

In the lead-up to his past fight at UFC 248, Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) made a joke about Yoel Romero crumbling like the twin towers of the World Trade Center, a reference to a terrorist act for which “The Last Stylebender” received plenty of criticism.

But the UFC middleweight champion can’t understand how he was scrutinized for his joke, when [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] seemingly gets away with plenty of political and controversial comments.

After defeating Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN+ 36, Covington called the Black Lives Matter movement a sham that is “standing for lifelong criminals.” He also got into a war of words with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the post-fight show, where he took aim at Usman’s birth country of Nigeria, from where Adesanya also hails.

When weighing the impact of both statements, Adesanya thinks the media has chosen to ignore Covington’s comments, whilst making a big deal out of his.

“I mean, it just shows you the landscape of the media and what it is right now,” Adesanya reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 253 media day at Yas Island. “I made a joke about dropping Romero like the Twin Towers, and everyone lost their mind, even if I said it was a joke and it was pretty funny, but people took it as like I was being offensive and digging, but I was making a joke.

“This guy has directly insulted my culture, my brother and many other cultures and stuff and no one says anything, but it just shows you a mirror to you guys. So yeah, I don’t really care. Kamaru Usman broke his jaw.”

Adesanya faces Paulo Costa in the main event of UFC 253 on Saturday, which takes place at Yas Island. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=523682]

After two thrillers, Brad Riddell aims for ‘cleaner’ showing at UFC 253

Brad Riddell won’t fight conservatively at UFC 253, but he’s aiming to tone down the brawling after starting his UFC run with two thrillers.

ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC 253, [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.

Riddell (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) discussed his lightweight bout with Alex da Silva (21-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), his hopes to have a “cleaner” performance after two action-packed fights to start his UFC tenure, sharing a card with teammate Israel Adesanya and more.

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=492948]

Kai Kara-France: Flyweight division more ‘even’ than ever going into UFC 253

Kai Kara-France believes the margin of skill between the top flyweights is closer than ever heading into his bout at UFC 253.

ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC 253, [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.

Kara-France (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) discussed his flyweight bout with Brandon Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the division being more competitive than ever, sharing a card with Israel Adesanya and other City Kickboxing teammates and more

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=492820]

UFC 253 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: Fun and games for Jan Blachowicz

The stars of the show look to keep themselves amused as fight week goes into full swing in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC returns to “Fight Island” on Saturday night, as UFC 253 kicks off the company’s next residency in the Middle East.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Two title fights top the card. The main event is a grudge match, as middleweight champion[autotag] Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his belt against. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC). And a new light heavyweight champ will be crowned, with [autotag]Jan Blachowicz [/autotag](26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) vs. [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) set to fill the belt vacated by former champion Jon Jones.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the starts as fight week in Abu Dhabi kicks into full gear. Here’s the UFC’s description:

Kai Kara France and champ Israel Adesanya train, bolstered by their COVID-era camp. Challenger Paulo Costa does interviews and signs posters. Jan Blachowicz hits the game room; Adesanya takes the game to his room for a UFC4 rematch.

Check out the latest edition of “Embedded” above. Missed an episode? No problem, we’ve got you covered below:

[vertical-gallery id=375856]

William Knight details history, animosity with Aleksa Camur ahead of UFC 253

William Knight is excited to settle the score with Aleksa Camur at UFC 253 and make an impact in “rambunctious” light heavyweight division.

ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC 253, [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.

Knight (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) discussed his light heavyweight bout with Aleksa Camur (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), how he was scheduled to fight Camur earlier in his career, his goals for his UFC and how the weight cut is easy after making a quick turnaround.

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=424831]

Sijara Eubanks explains quick turn for UFC 253: I wanted to do ‘some gangster (explicit)’

Sijara Eubanks loves everything about short-notice bout against Ketlen Vieira.

[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]’s bucket list is a little smaller now.

Eubanks (6-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fights Ketlen Vieira (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) this weekend at UFC 253 – a bout she took on a little over a week’s notice following her win over Julia Avila on at UFC on ESPN+ 35 on Sept. 12.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Eubanks has been wanting to do just that – get a quick turnaround and dive right back in another fight.

“It’s a chance to move up, it’s a great matchup,” Eubanks told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 253 media day. “I would’ve fought (No.) 4, 6, 7 10 for that kind of opportunity.

“I always wanted to do some gangster (explicit), like turn right back around or get a short-notice fight or something like that. I see guys do it in their careers, and I’ve always wanted to do something like that. So it’s like a bucket list check, so hell yeah, I’m there.”

[lawrence-related id=554288,554265]

Taking a short-notice fight could be a great opportunity if there’s a winning result. However, there are many things to consider, especially being able to make weight on short notice. Eubanks is confident that won’t be a problem when she steps on the scale.

“It’s a benefit I’m still in fight shape,” Eubanks said. “I’m still pretty low. I didn’t get a chance to do too much junk food. I took my daughter for ice cream on Monday, and that’s the most damage I did. We got back on the plane, and I came right back.”

Eubanks said she almost doubled her previous pay taking the matchup with Vieira after negotiating a new contract with the UFC. The 35-year-old is now excited to get an opportunity to fight Vieira, and she thinks a win over the highly ranked contender would do a lot for her career.

“It would mean a lot to me, and it would mean a lot to my ranking and my goal,” Eubanks said. “My goal is to be the champion one day. I don’t care how long it will take or who I have to fight to get there, but this is going to put me in a nice spot after this.”

[vertical-gallery id=518623]

Dan Hooker says Israel Adesanya will serve up ‘one-sided ass whooping’ at UFC 253

Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker said he thinks Paulo Costa’s fighting style is tailor-made for teammate Israel Adesanya at UFC 253.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s middleweight title defense against [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] at UFC 253 will be a simple, straightforward victory, according to the champion’s training partner, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag].

The UFC lightweight contender has been alongside Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as “The Last Stylebender” has completed his final preparations ahead of his clash with Costa (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on “UFC Fight Island” and says his friend and teammate is just too good for the undefeated Brazilian contender.

Speaking to “Submission Radio,” Hooker said, “Israel, easiest fight of the night. I think he’s just going to bash Costa. I think it’s going to be a one-sided ass-whooping.”

Costa heads into the fight after he followed up four successive knockouts with a hard-earned decision win over Yoel Romero in a grueling encounter. But, despite “Borrachinha’s” solid form, Hooker isn’t too impressed and said Costa’s style is tailor-made for Adesanya’s slick striking.

“He’s a big, musclebound, slow striker,” Hooker offered. “If I was designing a character to do poorly against Israel, that would be it: a big, strong, limited striker who is going to walk forward and eat shots. If I could design a character to get his ass whooped by Israel, that’s pretty close.

“I just don’t think his skillset belongs in that realm of Rob Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. I think Jack Hermansson, I think (Jared) Cannonier and a rematch with Rob. I would rate those 100 percent harder fights than the Costa fight.”

[lawrence-related id=553838,552511,551107]

Hooker has put his money where his mouth is, too, with the Kiwi explaining he’s put a wager on Adesanya getting the finish in the second half of the fight.

“My money, my actual bet down, is Israel stopping him in the third, fourth or fifth round,” he revealed. “I think Israel TKO-ing him is only paying $2.50 or something mad like that. But for him to stop him in like the third, fourth or fifth is like $9.00, $10.00 or $12.00 dollars. So, I feel like he’s gonna stop him later in the fight in the third, fourth or fifth. That’s where my money’s sitting.”

Hooker also gave his personal insight into the hotel meeting between Adesanya and Costa and suggested that the discussion might not have been as cordial as some may have first thought.

“I didn’t think it was very friendly,” he said. “Israel was just, like, poking him, right? Israel was calling him skinny, and Costa didn’t have much to say coming back. Interesting, interesting. It’s hard to read the facial expressions and intensity when the guys are wearing masks.

“From me sitting there, I know Israel quite well, that’s him poking the bear. And to me, it seemed like Paulo Costa was the one kind of downplaying the situation. I feel like Israel was the one instigating and kind of stirring the pot. Maybe he’s learning a few of my tricks. I love to stir the old pot!”

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=366436]

[vertical-gallery id=493117]

UFC 253’s Zubaira Tukhugov: It’s ‘different’ fighting without Khabib’s father

Zubaira Tukhugov sees big implications in his upcoming fight at UFC 253.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] sees big implications in his upcoming fight at UFC 253.

Tukhugov (19-4-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) takes on Hakeem Dawodu on Saturday’s main card, in a matchup between two featherweight prospects. He sees Dawodu (11-1-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) as a worthy opponent, where a win should catapult him to the top-15 rankings.

“I think after this fight, I’m top 15,” Tukhugov told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 253 media day. “I think, because he’s a good opponent, he won four times, I think we show a good fight.”

He continued, “I watched his fight, his last fight I watched. He’s a good fighter, good boxing, good blocking wrestling. He’s a good, strong guy.”

[lawrence-related id=356113,355996]

UFC 253 takes place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The loss of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father who died in July, has hit Tukhugov and his entire team hard. Abdulmanap played a large role in impacting Tukhugov’s career and, despite emotions running high, he vows to power through and continue honoring his legacy.

“Yes, this is different,” Tukhugov said of the elder Nurmagomedov’s absence. “Abdulmanap, he’s close with me, he helps me, I feel better. He’s now not here, it’s very sad. It’s not good. We need to keep going.”

[vertical-gallery id=439695]