UFC 243: Paulo Costa trolled by cheeky Australian fans at Q&A session ahead of Adesanya vs Whittaker

• Rowdy crowd pokes fun at ‘The Eraser’ after Friday’s weigh-ins
• ‘You called Israel Adesanya skinny. If he had the same doctor as you he’d look like Jon Jones’

Paulo Costa is in Melbourne to watch Sunday's huge UFC 243 middleweight title unification fight between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya, with the Brazilian likely to face the winner.

So the UFC decided to put "The Eraser" (13-0) up for a fan Q&A session at Marvel Stadium after Friday's weigh-ins " except it didn't really go to plan.

When they got their hands on the microphone, more than a few Australian fans rather mercilessly trolled Costa, who beat Yoel Romero via a controversial unanimous decision in August.

"Hey Paulo, this one's for you," said one fan. "I was just wondering after losing to Romero, are you planning on taking any more supplements to come back? What was in the IV drip, what was in the IV drip?"

"I don't need, man. Look, I'm strong already," replied the 28-year-old, who was suspended for six months by Usada for using a prohibited intravenous infusion twice in 2017. The suspension was retroactive to August 2018.

"You called Israel Adesanya 'really skinny', I think if he had the same doctor as you, he'd probably look like Jon Jones," another cheeky fan said.

UFC 243: Dana White open to Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya as trash talk intensifies

Costa has dismissed the California State Athletic Commission's (CSAC) recommendation he move up to light heavyweight, having regained 14.9 per cent of his body weight between the weigh-in and fight night at UFC 241 in Anaheim.

The Brazilian will need permission from CSAC to compete in the middleweight division in the state of California again.

"Besides Robert Whittaker, who do you think will be the toughest challenge?" said one fan in Australia, before another chipped in: "Usada!"

"I have a question for Paulo. How do you expect to beat Israel when you can't last five rounds?" said another, questioning Costa's cardio levels.

Another fan pointed out that Costa got knocked down several times against Romero. "What happens when you fight a decent striker like Robert Whittaker and you're not able to get back up?" he added.

"You think Robert Whittaker is more dangerous than Romero?" Costa responded. "Yeah, he beat him twice, mate," said the fan.

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