Israel Adesanya wants Mortal Kombat-style title fight with Paulo Costa at UFC Fight Island

Israel Adesanya is ready to confront Paulo Costa, Mortal Kombat-style, on the UFC’s much discussed Fight Island.

The UFC has had to put multiple fight cards on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. This has given Paulo Costa the time to heal from surgery and prepare for an anticipated middleweight title fight with Adesanya.

Now, UFC president Dana White is planning on holding events involving international fighters on a private island. New Zealand’s Adesanya and Brazil’s Costa could well end up competing there.

If it happens, Adesanya predicts a cinematic showdown straight out of a video game.

“I like Fight Island. The movie, like the cinema I have in my head – because I’m the protagonist, right, and Costa would be the antagonist in the end of this movie,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie. “And to finish it off on Fight Island, that just seems like some ‘Mortal Kombat’ type of (expletive). It’s just like, you couldn’t have scripted it any better,”

Israel Adesanya’s first title defence was a lacklustre affair against Yoel Romero. The champ intends on making up for it against Costa.

“You will be surprised how I’m going to walk this guy down at a certain point in this fight, how he’ll be the one taking a backward step,” he said.

“It’s finishing – I’m knocking him out. That’s how I feel. It’s kill or be killed. Don’t get me wrong – like, I don’t think he’s going to catch me, and if he does, he’ll be quite surprised at my durability because a lot of people forget.”

Paulo Costa is yet to experience defeat in the UFC Octagon. Just like Adesanya, his last Octagon appearance was a competitive victory against Yoel Romero. The middleweight champion remains unfazed by his rival’s impeccable record and plans on feeding Costa his first taste of defeat

“They say, ‘Oh, he was scared of Romero’s power.’ It’s like, do you know how many (expletives) I’ve fought in this game – not just in MMA, but in kickboxing? Everyone has power, but there are levels to this power (expletive).”

Would you be interested in seeing Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa collide on Fight Island? If so, who do you think wins?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/28/2020.