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Sean Strickland sounds off on Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 302: ‘You better hope that God’s in your favor’

MixCollage 30 May 2024 10 55 PM 3832 Sean Strickland sounded off on Paulo Costa ahead of their fight on Saturday night. Nearly five months after surrendering…

Sean Strickland sounded off on Paulo Costa ahead of their fight on Saturday night.

Nearly five months after surrendering the middleweight world title to reigning champ Dricus Du Plessis, Strickland returns to the Octagon for a high-stakes scrap with the secret juice-chugging contender at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey.

Ahead of their highly anticipated co-main event, Strickland and Costa traded verbal jabs on stage inside the Prudential Center during the UFC 302 pre-fight press event. As expected, ‘Tarzan’ delivered an expletive-filled rant directed at his opponent that got fans in The Garden State riled up and ready to see the blood fly.

“I don’t know how much f*cking secret juice Paulo has, but the only shot you’ve got, you better hope to get f*cking lucky,” Strickland said. “You better hope that God’s in your favor because I’m gonna f*cking beat your d*ck into the f*cking dirt, but don’t worry. I ain’t gonna f*ck you like Izzy did.”

Sean Strickland is the odds-on favorite to leave with a win at UFC 302

After delivering a career-defining performance against Israel Adesanya last September to claim the 185-pound crown, Strickland’s title reign came to a crashing halt at the beginning of the new year. With a win over Paulo Costa, ‘Tarzan’ could very well earn himself an opportunity to reclaim the middleweight strap, as soon as Dricus Du Plessis settles some outstanding business with ‘The Last Stylebender.’

Costa, on the other hand, is just hoping to keep his spot in the top 10 after coming up short against Robert Whittaker earlier this year.

‘The Eraser’ last fought his way to the winner’s circle with a unanimous decision victory over Luke Rockhold in August 2022. However, if you want to check out Costa’s last win over another active UFC fighter, you’ll be shocked to find that such a thing doesn’t exist. All six of his wins inside the Octagon have come against opponents who are no longer with the organization.

He’ll look to change that on June 1, but the sportsbooks are certainly not on his side. Currently, DraftKings has Strickland favored at greater-than-2-to-1 odds while Costa is sitting as a +210 underdog — meaning a $100 bet on Costa could net you $210, should he score the upset.

Sean Strickland rips Octagon execs amid fighter pay issue ahead of UFC 302: ‘They don’t do the right things’

Despite the recent settling of an anti-trust lawsuit brought against the UFC, former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland has echoed…

Despite the recent settling of an anti-trust lawsuit brought against the UFC, former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland has echoed displeasure with fighter pay within the promotion, claiming the promotion – whom he described as “leeches” do not do the “right thing” with the majority of fighters on their roster.

Strickland, a former undisputed middleweight champion, makes his return this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 302, fighting for the first time since he lost the title to Dricus du Plessis back in January of this year in a close decision defeat in Canada.

Sean Strickland's coach claims live betting may have affected corner advice in UFC 297 title loss — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Returning in search of a potential route back to a championship charge, outspoken contender, Strickland takes on former title challenger, Paulo Costa – with the pair sharing a distinct rivalry atop the middleweight pile.

Paulo Costa claims he's not signed contract to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 I don't know what happened — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Sean Strickland rips UFC over fighter pay issue

And first voicing his dissatisfaction with the new design of fight gloves which will be donned for the first time this weekend at UFC 302 in New Jersey, Strickland has now hit out at promotional brass and executives in the organization for “leeching” and not putting fighters livelihoods first.

“Sometimes you gotta get ready to f*cking throw away your entire career if you don’t get your sh*t, you know,” Sean Strickland told Daniel Cormier during an interview. “It’s just doing the f*cking right things, man. Like, the UFC doesn’t do the right things. It doesn’t f*cking do the right things. It doesn’t do the right things with most of their roster.”

“Like, if you go look at what these guys that run [the UFC], you see what they’re making to what [fighters] are get paid, it’s f*cking sh*t, dude,” Sean Strickland explained. “The UFC does not do the f*cking right things. And unless you hold them at f*cking gunpoint, they ain’t gonna f*cking do it.”

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Sean Strickland is not a fan of the new gloves debuting at UFC 302: ‘Yeah, they absolutely suck’

Sean Strickland is not happy with the new UFC gloves. This Saturday night, June 1, ‘Tarzan’ will return to…

Sean Strickland is not happy with the new UFC gloves.

This Saturday night, June 1, ‘Tarzan’ will return to the Octagon for a high-stakes middleweight scrap with secret juice-chugging contender Paulo Costa. It will be Strickland’s first fight since surrendering the 185-pound crown to Dricus Du Plessis in January.

Addressing members of the press during the UFC 302 media day on Wednesday, Strickland was asked his thoughts on the new gloves which will be making their official premiere at the event following an initial unveiling in April.

Needless to say, the outspoken superstar is not a fan.

“Yeah, they suck, dude — I don’t know who, like can we talk to the person who designed these gloves; have you ever been in a fight in your f*cking life?” Strickland said. “It’s like you get these f*cking dorks that have no idea [and] they’re like ‘Oh this sounds like a good idea, and they make it.’

“They put so much stupid sh*t on it, like how did you a**holes think that this was a good idea? So yeah, they absolutely suck, and the UFC dropped the ball on that one.”

Sean Strickland doesn’t see the new gloves doing anything to stop eye pokes

The biggest hope from fight fans is that the new design would help reduce if not altogether eliminate unintentional eye pokes. Sadly, it seems as if that is nothing more than a pipedream as Strickland believes the only way to prevent eye pokes in a fight is to stick every fighter in boxing gloves.

Even if there is another way, these gloves won’t be it.

“What was the reasoning that they wanted so people stopped poking people in the eyes? Well, they’re a little bit more stitched, and at the end of the day, people get poked in the eye because they open their hands. Unless you put a boxing glove on, that sh*t ain’t going to stop so it’s just people creating a problem that we did not have,” Strickland argued.

“If you get cut because you got hit in the f*cking head, don’t get hit in the f*cking head and you don’t get cut. If you get poked in the eye because you f*cking opened your hand, don’t open your hand and you won’t get poked in the eye… It’s people creating problems that weren’t there.”

UFC 302 star Sean Strickland explains why the thought of being a father terrifies him: ‘Growing up sucked’

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says the thought of being a dad terrifies him. Strickland grew up in…

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says the thought of being a dad terrifies him.

Strickland grew up in an abusive household which is why he has said he doesn’t want to have kids. But, with Strickland now having a girlfriend, and saying they may get married in the future, the thought of having kids has been more prevalent.

According to Strickland, he says the thought of being a dad and raising a kid is terrifying to him, and one of the biggest fears he has.

“It’s like one of the scariest things for me to have a kid because of the thought of being like you, because I’m a selfish man. When I grew up, my dad sucked. I never had any positive role models in my life, like any masculinity. So, to be a dad, I look at a family as something scary and ‘Oh f**k responsibility’ because growing up suck. One of the biggest fears I have is being a dad and then being faced with the responsibility of raising a good man or woman,” Strickland said to Nina Drama.

Strickland has spoken publicly about his dad as he revealed one story where at 17 he told his dad to commit suicide as he was contemplating it.

Sean Strickland promises Paulo Costa fight will be a ‘bloodbath’

As for his fighting career, Sean Strickland is set to return to the Octagon in a five-round co-main event fight against Paulo Costa on Saturday at UFC.

Sean Strickland threatens to stab Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 if he mentions abuse — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

It’s Strickland’s first fight since he lost his middleweight title by decision to Dricus Du Plessis in January. Entering the fight against Costa, Strickland is expecting it to be a bloody war, but the former champ is confident he will pick apart the Brazilian.

“UFC 302, man, it’s going to be a bloodbath. I think me and Costa are going to go into deep water, it’s going to be a 25-minute war. I think we are both going to be looking at each other in that third, fourth round thinking ‘f**k we still got one more round.’ Mentally, as always, I’m ready to die for what I want and I think I will pick him apart,” Strickland said on UFC countdown.

If Strickland gets his hand raised at UFC 302 he could get another crack at his UFC title next time out.

UFC 302 star Sean Strickland explains why the thought of being a father terrifies him: ‘Growing up sucked’

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says the thought of being a dad terrifies him. Strickland grew up in…

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says the thought of being a dad terrifies him.

According to Strickland, he says the thought of being a dad and raising a kid is terrifying to him, and one of the biggest fears he has.

Strickland has spoken publicly about his dad as he revealed one story where at 17 he told his dad to commit suicide as he was contemplating it.

Sean Strickland promises Paulo Costa fight will be a ‘bloodbath’

As for his fighting career, Sean Strickland is set to return to the Octagon in a five-round co-main event fight against Paulo Costa on Saturday at UFC.

If Strickland gets his hand raised at UFC 302 he could get another crack at his UFC title next time out.

UFC 304’s Belal Muhammad roasts Sean Strickland following Nina-Marie Daniele’s prank gone wrong

It’s safe to say that there is no love lost between Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad. Despite fighting in…

It’s safe to say that there is no love lost between Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad.

Despite fighting in separate weight classes, the two top-five contenders have traded barbs with one another over the last few years. Though things have quieted down between the two, a prank gone wrong by MMA interviewer Nina-Marie Daniele has seemingly reignited their once fiery feud.

Belal Muhammad did not see this coming LOL. Congratulations @bullyb170 so happy for you! #UFC304 pic.twitter.com/iPXHxtZEl2

— Nina-Marie Daniele (@ninamdrama) May 16, 2024

While Daniele’s prank was fairly harmless, if not a little childish, it gave Strickland the ammunition he needed to take a dig at the first-time title challenger.

“If you told him that in person he would put his head down and walk away,” Strickland commented during the Instagram Live feed. “Then try to fight you on Twitter lol.”

It was an unusually tame response for Strickland. Still, it served its purpose, eliciting a scathing response from ‘Remember The Name’ in return.

“If sean tells you he’s gonna fight you to the death,” Muhammad wrote on X. “It means he’s gonna jab you and play defense for 25 minutes … if Sean sees your a harmless kid or homeless man on his ring camera he’s gonna walk out side with a gun and record it to make it seem like he’s crazy … if sean goes on a podcast it means he’s probably gonna cry.”

Belal Muhammad ready to cash in on first UFC title opportunity at uFC 304

Unfortunately, we’ll likely never see Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad settle their beef inside the Octagon, but on Friday, July 27, the latter will get his first shot at UFC gold. Emanating from Manchester, England, Muhammad will headline UFC 304 as he challenges the promotion’s reigning welterweight king, Leon Edwards.

The opportunity has been a long time coming for Muhammad who is riding a nine-fight win streak, including victories over three top-10 contenders in his last four outings.

Meanwhile, Sean Strickland is set to square off with one-time title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 302 on June 1. However, their co-main event has been called into question after ‘Tarzan’ claimed that the Brazilian had not yet signed on the dotted line for their potential title eliminator.