Here’s a taste of what the UFC 302 buildup will sound like from two of the promotion’s most prominent class clowns.
Sean Strickland is not afraid to get a little bloody at UFC 302.
The former UFC 185-pound champion is scheduled to throw hands with one-time middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa in the “Makhachev vs. Poirier” co-main event, recently made official for Sat., June 1, 2024 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“You know what, you guys? I like Costa. he’s a funny guy,” Strickland said on YouTube. “He makes me laugh, and he’s pro-free speech. I like that guy. But I’m going to make that dirty Brazilian bleed and I’m going to do it for Brazil. Brazil doesn’t even like Costa. So hey, Brazil, this one’s for you guys. Let’s get it done.”
Sounds like Strickland is taking a page from the Chael Sonnen playbook.
“I’m half Mexican, what are you talking about?” Costa replied on social media. “Shut up, mother—ker. Don’t speak English, speak the Spanish. You will never touch the secret juice, you hear me? Shut the f—k up!”
We have another six weeks of this trash talk, which will only get worse from here.
Strickland (28-6) is looking to rebound from his decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 297 main event earlier this year in Toronto. As for Costa (14-3), he recently dropped a decision to former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in Anaheim.
For the rest of the UFC 302 fight card and PPV lineup click here.