Hooker has put his money where his mouth is, too, with the Kiwi explaining he’s put money on Adesanya getting the finish in the second half of the fight.
“My money, my actual bet down, is Israel stopping him in the third, fourth or fifth round,” he revealed. “I think Israel TKO-ing him is only paying $2.50 or something mad like that. But for him to stop him in like the third, fourth or fifth is like $9.00, $10.00 or $12.00 dollars. So, I feel like he’s gonna stop him later in the fight in the third, fourth or fifth. That’s where my money’s sitting.”
Hooker also gave his personal insight into the hotel meeting between Adesanya and Costa and suggested that the discussion might not have been as cordial as some may have first thought.
“I didn’t think it was very friendly,” he said. “Israel was just, like, poking him, right? Israel was calling him skinny, and Costa didn’t have much to say coming back. Interesting, interesting. It’s hard to read the facial expressions and intensity when the guys are wearing masks.
“From me sitting there, I know Israel quite well, that’s him poking the bear. And to me, it seemed like Paulo Costa was the one kind of downplaying the situation. I feel like Israel was the one instigating and kind of stirring the pot. Maybe he’s learning a few of my tricks. I love to stir the old pot!”
www.tapology.com
