UFC 253 middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa has claimed that he was dealing with a hangover during his ‘Fight Island’ title challenge against Israel Adesanya last September.
Costa claimed he had drunk a bottle of wine in the early hours of the night ahead of his morning outing.
The Brazilian dropped to a one-sided second round knockout defeat to Adesanya in Abu Dhabi, UAE as he suffered his first professional defeat.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel Costa claimed he consumed an entire bottle of wine in the hours before his matchup with Adesanya in an attempt to get “black out” drunk — so he could find some sleep.
“I was kind of drunk (when) I fought, maybe, on (sic) hangover,” Costa said. “I couldn’t sleep because of the (leg) cramps. Keep in mind that the fight happens at 9 a.m. (local time), we have to wake up at 5 (a.m.) to get ready, stretch, wrap the hands. The UFC told us to wake up at 5 in the morning to go to the arena to fight. I hadn’t slept until 2:30 (a.m).“
“It was my mistake and I don’t blame anyone else, it was something I chose (to do), but, in order to try to sleep, because I had to sleep since I was awake for twenty-four hours, I had wine, too much wine, a bottle (of wine) to try to black out. I had a glass and didn’t work. Two glasses, it didn’t work. Half bottle, didn’t work. I had it all.”
Costa is scheduled to headline a UFC Fight Night event on April 17 against former champion, Robert Whittaker, who enters off the back of a pair of unanimous decision wins in 2020 over both Darren Till and Jared Cannonier.
