Paulo Costa says he wants “$15 million” to fight Israel Adesanya and coach TUF

Paulo Costa has set his price to coach The Ultimate Fighter and fight Israel Adesanya.

Dana White has recently said TUF is coming back and named a few possibilities of who may coach the season. One pairing fans were eager to see was Adesanya and Costa. The two have a massive rivalry, so it would make for good TV. It would also set up their middleweight title fight, which is expected to happen later this year.

Who likes that match?

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020

“BN: The ultimate fighter Adelasanha x Costa. Who likes that match?,” Costa tweeted.

The tweets sparked fan’s interest wondering if that it was a done deal. The Brazilian, however, says it’s not done and confirms he needs to get paid to do it.

I want 15 million like Jon

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 18, 2020

“Not done deal yet. I want 15 million like Jon,” Costa added.

Paulo Costa is currently 13-0 as a pro and ranked second at middleweight. He last fought last August back at UFC 241 where he beat Yoel Romero by unanimous decision. Before that, he scored TKO wins over Uriah Hall, Johny Hendricks, Oluwale Bamgbose, and Garreth McLellan in his UFC debut.

Israel Adesanya, meanwhile, defended his belt with a decision win over Romero in March. He won the middleweight title when he beat Robert Whittaker by TKO. He claimed interim gold with a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum and has notable wins over Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares.

Although Costa has set his price point, it seems unlikely he would get $15 million like Jon Jones. We have seen fighters come out recently and talk about how low fighter pay is and why they want more of the revenue. There is no question Costa deserves the money though.

Costa-Adesanya is a massive fight and one that has been brewing for months. The Brazilian has slammed the champ multiple times whenever he has spoken to BJPENN.com.

“I can beat both. I think Adesanya is a fake champion. He hasn’t fought anyone tough, he is a skinny clown. I have a personal problem with him,” Paulo Costa said in September before Adesanya fought Whittaker. “If he beats Whittaker, which I don’t think, I’m going to kill him. He doesn’t stand a chance against me. As for Whittaker, he is good, tough guy. He is not as strong as Yoel, so I can take him. He is like Yoel with less power, so I can beat both of them. I really want Adesanya, though.”

When the two will fight is uncertain, but the hope is to have sometime soon.

What do you make of Paulo Costa wanting $15 million to fight Israel Adesanya and coach TUF?