I guess he wasn’t ready to die after all.
Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa went to war last Sat. night (June 1, 2024) in the co-main event of UFC 302, held inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was an important battle for the middleweight division, as No. 1-ranked Strickland, just one fight removed from his championship loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 earlier this year in Toronto, needed to keep the No. 6-ranked Costa from stealing his spot in the 185-pound title chase.
Mission accomplished.
“Tarzan” was able to hold off “The Eraser” after five rounds of mostly one-sided action (despite their wonky scorecards), capturing a split decision victory over the resilient Brazilian and keeping himself atop a very short list of eligible title contenders. Unfortunately, his performance at UFC 302 may not have been enough to guarantee the next crack at the 185-pound crown, which is expected to be up for grabs when Du Plessis collides with Israel Adesanya later this year.
At least not until we find out what happens at UFC Saudi Arabia.
That’s where ex-division champion, Robert Whittaker, looks to quell the uprising of undefeated middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev, who can steal “The Reaper’s” No. 3 spot in the official rankings with a commanding performance in Riyadh. “Borz” claims the promotion already promised him the next crack at the middleweight crown, but getting past Whittaker will not be an easy task — which is why a victory for Chimaev could trump Strickland’s big night in Newark.
“It was a boring fight, sorry guys,” Strickland told Joe Rogan. “That Brazilian goes backwards fast, he’s hard to catch. I’m not known for being athletic, but I tried. I wanted to do a little bit more, but I tried. I thought we were gonna have a war. I thought we were gonna fight. I wanna fight for the belt. I was a company man, I fought a ranked seventh guy. I did it for [the fans]. Gimme that title shot!”
It probably doesn’t help that Strickland promised to “bleed” Costa during their five-round “bloodbath” that was expected to be so violent, it could have cost “Tarzan” his life. Fans on social media were quick to call for Strickland’s return to the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, where the former welterweight holds the record for most headliners. Expect Strickland to be rooting for Khamzat to lose, or turn in a stinker of equal proportions.
We’ll find out in roughly three weeks.
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