UFC title challenger Paulo Costa posts gory image of DECAPITATED rival Adesanya ahead of UFC 253 showdown

Paulo Costa cranked up the animosity with Israel Adesanya ahead of the pair's UFC 253 middleweight title showdown as the Brazilian challenger shared a decapitated image of his rival.

The unbeaten duo face off on Fight Island this weekend for the middleweight belt currently owned by Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesanya. 

Tensions between the pair had largely bubbled under the surface during the build-up to the bout, but tempers finally flared at Friday's staredown when Costa tossed a white judo belt at his rival, in an apparent sign of his disdain for Adesanya's grappling game.

Now, the 13-0 Costa has upped the ante more, taking to his Instagram account to share a gory image with his 1 million followers of himself holding the head of a decapitated Adesanya, along with the message: "Let's erase them all."    

Adesanya, who stands 19-0 in professional MMA, has vowed to neutralize the feared striking threat from 'Borrachinha', who has finished all but one of his 13 opponents inside the distance – including nine in the first round. 

"People say it's the fight of the year, like Dana White said. But that's only if he's tough enough to actually take a beating from me for five rounds. But I just don't think his gas tank is gonna hold up," Adesanya warned.

"For my legacy, it's just the look of it. People are still fooled by muscles and big juiceheads and think, 'Ah! That's what a fighter looks like!' Especially the casuals. They're the ones who pay your bills. The ones who really go buy this sh*t.

"Once they see this skinny clown, supposedly, beat this muscly buffoon and they're like, 'What? The skinny guy beat the muscly guy? How'd he do that?' It's gonna blow their minds, especially in the fashion that I'm gonna do it."