UFC 302 has an exciting main-event fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. However, the five-round co-main event fight between Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland looks to steal the show on June 1, particularly as the former has enlisted ex-Olympians to train him.
Strickland is one of the best strikers in the UFC, especially in the boxing range. As such, Costa has roped in the services of Kelson Pinto and Edvaldo Gonzaga. They represented Brazil in boxing at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, respectively. With Pinto and Gonzaga with him, Costa is eager to fight Strickland.
To have a great boxing coach by my side will help a lot, especially with him [Sean Strickland], because he’s a boxer fighting in MMA. So, we have a good strategy to beat him.
Paulo Costa via UFC Countdown
Kelson Pinto competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at light welterweight, losing at pre-quarters. Pinto had also turned professional and once challenged Miguel Cotto for the WBO light welterweight title. Edvaldo Gozago competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics at featherweight, also losing at the prequarters.
MMA math does not always work. However, Sean Strickland holds a victory over Israel Adesanya, the only fighter to finish Paulo Costa. Strickland used his pressure-fighting style to smother Adesanya. Costa couldn’t get past Adesanya’s range when they fought. With the training from Olympic boxers, what Costa would showcase at UFC 302 remains to be seen.
Paulo Costa trolls bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili
Recently, Paulo Costa and Merab Dvalishvili have emerged as the best trollers in the UFC. The duo have done hilarious skits individually and also collaborated. Dvalishvili’s skits with Sean O’Malley‘s doppelganger have fight fans calling him the king of trolls. Costa is not far behind.
Paulo Costa trolls Merab Dvalishvili (Image via: IMAGO)Costa recently collaborated with Dvalishvili in a skit featuring adult content creator Francia James. Costa has now trolled Dvalishvili with a tweet with pictures of Dvalishvili with multiple women. There were three pictures; one where the Georgian was with one woman, the other with three, and another with four. Costa hilariously tweeted it as an evolution of the bantamweight fighter.
Costa and Dvalishvili became close friends after they began to steal each other’s food at the UFC PI. Interestingly, he didn’t know Dvalishvili was Georgian, as Costa thought he was Mexican. Dvalishvili had donned the Mexican attire at the latest UFC Mexico City fight night, which might be a reason for Costa’s wrong insinuation. Nonetheless, Costa realized his mistake on the JAXXON podcast.
!
