Fans have expressed their shock at the musclebound size of Paulo Costa as he prepares for a fight with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 this weekend.
The unbeaten Brazilian has to boil his frame down to make 185lb and was reportedly as high as 212.5lb just 10 days before the fight - leaving himself a whopping 27.5lb to lose.
Now fans have seen a video Costa has posted from Fight Island Abu Dhabi and the sheer bulk of 'The Eraser' has drawn a host of comments.
"How TF is this dude a middleweight?" asked one fight fan, while another replied: "Looks like we got another 15 pounds to go."
Advert
It certainly provokes an urgent question of if Costa really does have a heap of weight to lose: namely where exactly is it going to come from? Because the 29-year-old already looks pretty shredded right now.
"He's gonna gas out in the third round and get TKOed," came one prediction, while another commented: "Nice body but notice that this is MMA not bodybuilding."
The footage at least shows that Costa is in shape, but might only add to the (unproven) speculation indulged in by Adesanya that his opponent could be using PEDs. Costa has fired back, criticising the champ's fighting style and nicknaming him "Runnesanya".
Advert
Yet it was all respectful, bordering on fun-filled, when the pair ran into each other on Fight Island earlier this week. Adesanya actually told Costa he was looking "skinny" - an assessment he may want to reassess in light of the challenger's latest video.
At least Wallid Ismail, Costa's manager, is unconcerned. He told Sherdog.com his fighter was "having the best weight cut ever" in the build-up to UFC 253.
"Normally he weighs 200 pounds two days before the weigh-in," Ismail explained. "This time he is already weighing 200 pounds today [Tuesday]. So there is no reason for concern.
Advert
Well, 15lb still sounds like a lot to us, Wallid. Do you think Costa is likely to be weak from the weight cut this weekend? Or will his hulking size give him an edge over 'The Last Stylebender'? Let us know in the comments.
All imagery: Twitter @BorrachinhaMMA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: UFC News, MMA News, UFC 253, Fight News, UFC, MMA, Israel Adesanya
