Paulo Costa‘s co-main event performance against Sean Strickland was an absolute nightmare. Despite the fighter’s commitment, Costa only ran in circles for five rounds and failed to do anything at UFC 302. However, it did not take long for the Brazilian to realize his mistake, as he clarified in a recent statement.
After the disaster class performance, Paulo Costa took to X and shared a video about returning to his old lethal style. According to the fighter, he will not care about points or anything in the future and will come to get knockouts. Here’s what the fighter said in the deleted video:
I will bring back the [old] Paulo to take heads off, to finish the fight…I have the power, so I need to deliver that. F*** points or conserving energy or f*** anything about that. I will come to take heads off. And this is who I am, this is the kind of fighter I am, and the fighter who people expect that I perform.
Paulo Costa via X
It was Costa’s second fight of the year and the fighter was looking fresh for the bout. Ahead of the clash, both he and Sean Strickland promised a war for the fight fans. Costa wanted to get a win and fight for the title next. However, the reality was way different as all Costa did was back off from exchanges.
Strickland on the other hand fought at his natural pace and frequently applied forward pressure. While Costa did last some early leg kicks, those were not enough at all. The ‘Tarzan’ controlled the fight from the beginning to the end and finally took home a split-decision victory. However, the former champion was definitely not satisfied with the judges and the fight.
Sean Strickland blames Paulo Costa for a lackluster co-main event bout at UFC 302
Sean Strickland is a company man and always talks about fighting and bleeding for the fans. Similarly, Costa is a brawler and has been in some wars recently. The fight between the pair was a perfect recipe for a classic showdown. However, it didn’t happen and according to Strickland, it was Costa’s fault.
Sean Strickland accuses Paulo Costa of running around and not fighting at UFC 302 (via Bleacher Report)During the Octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Strickland showed his annoyance and revealed that the fight was boring. According to Strickland, Costa was hard to catch with all that running around during the fight.
It was a boring fight, man. I’m sorry guys. That Brazilian goes backwards fast, it’s hard to catch. I’m not known for being athletic but I tried.
Sean Strickland via UFC 302 octagon interview
Nonetheless, with this victory, Strickland recovered from his previous title loss. Now, the fighter is back in the hunt for the middleweight crown. Strickland has also issued a warning to Dana White and asked for the title shot next.
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