Sean Strickland promises to make ‘dirty Brazilian’ Paulo Costa bleed at UFC 302: “Brazil doesn’t even like him!”

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland wants to make Paulo Costa bleed in June.

‘Tarzan’ has been out of the octagon since a split-decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in January. That defeat at UFC 297 ended Sean Strickland’s title reign, after just one defense. Following the bout, he called for a rematch against ‘Stillknocks’ but the company wants to take the South African in a different direction.

With du Plessis expected to face Israel Adesanya later this year, Sean Strickland has booked his return against Paulo Costa. While the former champion wasn’t first interested in the matchup, he later accepted it. The two are set to be the five-round co-main event of UFC 302 in June. That card is expected to be headlined by a lightweight clash between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.

With Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa now official, the former champion is back in training. Earlier this week, ‘Tarzan’ posted a video to his YouTube channel, showing the beginning of fight camp. Near the end of the video, Strickland sent a message to the Brazilian. He admitted that he finds ‘The Eraser’ quite funny, but that won’t stop them from fighting each other.

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Sean Strickland sends Paulo Costa a message ahead of UFC 302 co-main event

Sean Strickland added that he intends to make Paulo Costa bleed in their five-round showdown this summer. The former middleweight champion also opined that even Brazilian fans don’t enjoy his opponent. With that in mind, Strickland plans to put forth a great performance for Brazil in June.

“You know what you guys? I like Costa, he’s a funny guy.” Sean Strickland stated in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel earlier this week. “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!”

The UFC 302 co-main event is an incredibly important fight for both middleweights. While Sean Strickland is coming off a loss to Dricus du Plessis, Paulo Costa is coming off a defeat of his own. The Brazilian is fresh off a unanimous decision defeat to Robert Whittaker in February.

What do you make of these comments from the former UFC champion? Are you excited for Sean Strickland’s return against Paulo Costa?