Paulo Costa has really beefed up ahead of his upcoming UFC middleweight title fight with reigning division champion Israel Adesanya.

During last night’s UFC 252 broadcast the promotion announced that the highly anticipated middleweight title fight between Costa and Adesanya will headline UFC 253 on September 26.

September’s pay-per-view headliner will mark only the second time in UFC history that two undefeated fighters square off for promotional gold. The only other time such a fight occurred under the UFC banner was when Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans faced off at UFC 98.

Paulo Costa will enter UFC 253 sporting a perfect professional record of 13-0. In his most recent effort at UFC 241 the Brazilian powerhouse scored a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Yoel Romero.

Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya (19-0 MMA) is also coming off a win over ‘The Soldier of God’ in his most recent Octagon appearance, defeating the Cuban by way of unanimous decision.

Paulo Costa recently released a video blog from his ongoing UFC 253 fight camp, where he revealed that he has broken the 220lbs barrier.

Titled: “FINALLY BROKE THE 220LBS BARRIER,” the vlog details how Costa has beefed up in preparation for his title fight with Adesanya.

A 220lbs version of Paulo Costa is definitely a terrifying thought, but ‘The Eraser’ will have to shed 35lbs of that mass if he wants to be eligible to dethrone Israel Adesanya on September 26.

The Brazilian bomber is known for his incredible punching power, having earned eleven of his thirteen career victories by way of knockout.

Costa is hoping to add Adesanya to his list of knockout victims after the pair have gone back and forth with trash talk on social media.

According to ‘Borrachinha’, even if he knocks out ‘Stylebender’ at UFC 253 he still won’t shake his hand due to their bad blood.

“Even after I knock him out, I will not shake his hand,” Costa said. “It will be wild. It will be savage. … I believe in the second round (I will knock him out) because he will run a lot in the first round.”

Who do you think will emerge victorious when undefeated middleweights Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya throw down at UFC 253? Share your predictions in the comments section PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on August 16, 2020