The definition of insanity would be to do the same thing again and again and again. At the same time, one expects different outcomes overall. Former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland is infamous for his unhinged brashness, often funnyman disses, and battle acumen. However, it was not what the fans witnessed at the UFC 302 pre-fight media day. So, did he change to have a different outcome?
UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen revealed why Strickland appeared different this time. Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) returns this Saturday against Paulo Costa in the feature co-mains of UFC 302. This marks his first fight since losing the belt to Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year. Away from the title picture, Sonnen thinks the middleweight would have a different set of motivations fueling him up.
I’m very confident in telling you, one of the reasons that Sean did not do media [this time]…[he] did not overly go out of his way, …is because he’s upset about the spot…he wants to be fighting for the world championship, he wants to fight Du Plessis [still]. He doesn’t understand how the judges came to that conclusion in Canada [split decision] in the first place… You’ve seen a hungry Sean; you’ve seen funny Sean. You’ve never seen a mad Sean Strickland…
Chael Sonnen via his Official YouTube channel (@ChaelSonnenOfficial)
The 33-year-old earned a disputable scorecard (47-48, 48-47, 48-47), which saw a new crowning. Since then, Strickland has demanded an immediate shot at the South African’s gold, and he even threatened deviation to boxing stints. Nevertheless, a win over Costa will put Strickland in title contention. There is a possibility he may have to wait, though.
On the other hand, Chael Sonnen also believes Costa might have similar “mad” intentions. He notes that both Costa and the Xtreme Couture MMA standout are training amongst the brilliant minds of UFC PI instead of their camps. Although 1-3 in his last four, ‘Borrachinha’ remains the only middleweight in UFC history to begin his run with four consecutive KOs. Their battle can be the most intense in recent history.
Sean Strickland believes it’s his fight to lose at UFC 302 against ‘basic’ Paulo Costa
Sean Strickland steps into the octagon at UFC 302, thinking the ball is in his court. He fights Paulo Costa in a crucial middleweight matchup. Although the Brazilian marks a change of pace from his usual opponents, ‘Tarzan’ believes he has this in the bag. Barring a crucial injury or a callous error on his part, he knows he will win.
Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland (Source: X/UFC.go.com)Chael Sonnen believes fans will witness a different version of Strickland. Even ‘Tarzan’ remains confident in destroying the Brazilian fighter. However, even Strickland knows he cannot mess up, or Costa will cause an upset. As such, the former champion detailed his game plan for the fight.
I’m better than Costa, We know that; he knows that…I just have to fu*k up [to lose]. Have I fu*ked up before? Yeah, sure,…but I don’t think it’s going to happen on Saturday…He’s pretty basic, he just backs up and explodes and looks to catch you with something. That’s pretty much the take with Costa. He backs up, explodes, catches you with something, and then put pressure on him.
Sean Strickland to media scrum at the UFC 302 pre-fight Media Day conference
‘Tarzan’ has mastered the “Philly Shell” — a non-standard defensive MMA variant of the crouch-and-roll boxing technique. He is more sure-footed with a great stand-up connect ratio. He doesn’t wobble much and, even so, has minimal bottom time. On the other hand, Costa is no different.
After winning his previous 12 fights by stoppage, Costa won his last two by decision. However, his highlights against Luke Rockhold and Robert Whittaker remain the most handsome spectacles in recent times. Hence, with another fiery performance, he hopes to rebound in the win column again. As such, both fighters will be giving it their all.
