Strickland, Costa bring main event energy to UFC 302 despite co-main spot

Fight fans are being blessed this weekend with two five-round contests set to cap off UFC 302 despite there only being one title on the line.

It might have co-main billing, but as we saw and heard Thursday during the pre-fight press conference, both Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa are carrying themselves with main event energy and because of that the penultimate bout at UFC 302 has some heightened anticipation and expectations.

“I think that’s the Fight of the Night, 25 minutes if need be. I can’t wait,” said UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik when asked for his thoughts on the middleweight matchup. 

Anik hosted Thursday’s media event with Strickland, Costa, and headlining lightweights Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.

Strickland is only one fight removed from being the 185-pound champion and the Anaheim native held court like a defending champ instead of the No. 1-ranked contender he is.

The 33-year-old former titleholder, who upset Israel Adesanya roughly nine months ago to initially win the belt, addressed his fan base Thursday with the type of brashness they’ve come to appreciate.

Strickland cursed like a sailor every few words he uttered, chewing a fat wad of bubble gum the entire time, and did it whilst wearing a pro-America t-shirt.

The New Jersey crowd loved the Strickland shtick and ate it up the same way the Toronto crowd embraced his demeanour back in January when he headlined UFC 297.

Strickland was edged out by Dricus Du Plessis via split decision and is eyeing a rematch with the South African champion later this year.

“The whole world knows that I beat Dricus,” Strickland said to a roar of applause. “I went to (expletive) Canada and I got (expletive) robbed in that dirty (expletive) country — not the people but the government. … I’m gonna beat Costa and I’m gonna win that (expletive) belt back but I gotta make this guy bleed first.”

Essentially, Strickland took a page from the same promotional playbook he used ahead of UFC 297, however verbal exchanges have not gotten personal and tensions have not boiled over with Costa like they did in the build-up to his bout with Du Plessis.

“Facts though: I like Costa. He’s a funny (expletive), dude,” Strickland yelled. “I think we all like Costa. We’re gonna (expletive) bleed for you guys. I appreciate you guys. I’m gonna sacrifice some (expletive) brain cells for you guys. I (expletive) love you guys. For America!”

Costa, the No. 7 contender, is still a threat in the division despite losing three of his past four fights. He plans on spoiling the party and said he thinks his skill set is more well-rounded than Strickland’s thanks to his kicks and ability to grapple if necessary. 

The Brazilian, also 33, had a great line Wednesday, calling Strickland a “soy boy with a liberal chin,” as he looks for his first stoppage win since 2018. Costa would be the first fighter to stop Strickland since Alex Pereira did 23 months ago.

Costa complemented the cheering crowd at the press conference and said the energy in New Jersey is “unbelievably good” and added in his broken English, “You can imagine how good it’s gonna be on Saturday. He train a lot and I train a lot too to bring a great show for you everyone.”

Conventional wisdom would suggest this matchup ends up being primarily a striking contest and if it plays out that way, fans should be in for a treat – just like Anik suggested.

Strickland lands 5.91 significant strikes per minute with 41 per cent accuracy and a middleweight-best 62 per cent defence. Michael Bisping is the only middleweight that has landed more significant strikes than Strickland in UFC history.

Costa lands at a slightly higher rate, 6.20 significant strikes per minute with 58 per cent accuracy, but his defence is not as stout. Costa has only been finished once in his MMA career — it was in his 2020 title fight loss to Adesanya — but he absorbs 6.38 significant strikes per minute with 47 per cent defence, which, on paper, does not stack up well against Strickland's strengths in the cage.

The ultimate difference in Strickland’s loss in January was Du Plessis’s ability to mix in takedowns and incorporate physicality, two things Costa could do to increase his odds of having success in a 25-minute scrap.

“I’m better than Costa,” Strickland told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 302 media day. “We know that. He knows that. … The thing with Costa, he’s a pretty basic guy, but just because you’re basic that doesn’t mean you can’t fight. He just backs up and explodes and looks to catch you with something. That’s pretty much the take with Costa. He backs up, explodes, catches you with something and then put pressure on him. Just don’t be a (expletive) idiot.”