Sean Strickland will be competing for the first time since losing his UFC middleweight title earlier this year when he meets Paulo Costa in an anticipated co-main event later tonight (Sat., June 1, 2024) at UFC 302 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In case you forgot, Strickland was the undisputed UFC middleweight king to begin the new year. The outspoken fighter had pulled off a huge upset win over Israel Adesanya back at UFC 293 in Sept. 2023 to claim the title. Strickland was a massive betting underdog for that fight in Australia, but still outclassed “Last Stylebender” on the feet to deliver a career-defining performance.
Of course, Strickland ended up coughing up the 185-pound title to Dricus du Plessis when the two met back at UFC 297 this past January. It was a close fight to say the least, but DDP ultimately walked away with the split-decision win. Now Strickland is trying to right the ship heading into the second half of 2024 with an impressive performance against Costa this weekend at UFC 302.
Ahead of Strickland’s return to action, UFC has released his entire five-round title fight against Adesanya from UFC 293. Check it out in the above video player and let us know if Strickland can repeat his offensive dominance against the power punching of Costa.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 302 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.