Tag: Sean Strickland

UFC 302’s Sean Strickland on Paulo Costa: ‘I’m going to make that dirty Brazilian bleed’

Sean Strickland is ready to bring a war to Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is ready to bring a war to [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] at UFC 302.

Former middleweight champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) meets Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a five-round co-main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Strickland, who lost his middleweight title in a close decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January, aims to rebound in emphatic fashion against Costa.

“You know what, you guys? I like Costa. he’s a funny guy,” Strickland said on his YouTube channel. “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.”

Meanwhile, Costa will also look to return to the win column. Despite losing to Robert Whittaker in his past outing at UFC 298, “Borrachinha” put on an exciting performance. He promises to ramp up his aggressiveness against Strickland.

“I just rewatched my fight w Whittaker, I needed to add a little more rhythm and strokes. Maybe that’s why the judges gave it 2×1 in the rounds in his favor. scores. I prioritized the damage factor, leaving him bleeding and bloody in every round even with fewer hits. I’m going to force myself to hit more from now on and keep hurting . Mark my works, I will be a machine hitter in the next 🔥🤯🧃.”

[lawrence-related id=2735018,2735014]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 302 co-headliner

Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will throw down in a pivotal middleweight clash in the UFC 302 co-headliner. Here’s what you need to know.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] will throw down in a pivotal middleweight clash in the UFC 302 co-main event.

Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa preview

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), who dethroned Israel Adesanya to become champion, lost his middleweight title in a close decision to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January – a fight he thought he won.

Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will also look to rebound. After outlasting Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 278, Costa dropped an entertaining decision to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February.

Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa preliminary odds

According to preliminary odds on FanDuel, former champion Strickland is a sizable -215 favorite, and Costa is a +164 underdog.

How to watch Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 302

  • When: Saturday, June 1, 2024
  • Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
  • Streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

[lawrence-related id=2734792,2734059]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Michael Bisping explains why Sean Strickland has ‘significant advantage’ vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 302

Michael Bisping gives Sean Strickland the advantage over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] gives former middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] the advantage against [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] at UFC 302.

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meet in a five-round co-main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

While Bisping gives Costa a power advantage, he thinks the extra two rounds will heavily benefit Strickland, who’s gone five rounds seven times in his career. Costa, on the other hand, has competed for 25 minutes only once, a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori in a light heavyweight bout.

“That is a crazy fight, OK? Paulo Costa hits harder, I’m telling you right now, Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve trained with Sean Strickland. He’s got very good boxing, we know that. We saw that when he beat Israel Adesanya, the best performance of his career, almost finished him in the first round, right? He will go out there. He will fight ‘d*ck to d*ck, nipple to nipple, but his style is behind the jab.

“Paulo Costa is going to come forward a lot. I think Paulo Costa hits harder, but I think Sean has an advantage with the cardio. Let’s remember, this is a five-round (co)-main event. That is a significant advantage for Sean Strickland because he has an economic style. Paulo Costa swings with everything he has, spinning wheel kicks, left high kicks that are just so fast and explosive, but they require a lot of energy.”

Strickland will look to rebound from his title loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Costa is coming off an entertaining, back-and-forth decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February.

[lawrence-related id=2728269,2726139,2725625,2716939]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Paulo Costa says Sean Strickland turned down UFC 302 fight; ex-champ alludes to reason why

A fight between Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland at UFC 302 sounds like a good idea, but apparently there’s one issue.

According to [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag], he was offered to fight former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] in June.

Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) said the UFC came to him with the name Strickland for UFC 302 on June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., but Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) rejected the fight.

“This is great stuff,” Costa said on “The Coach and the Casual podcast. “UFC suggested a fight with (Jared) Cannonier. It’s a nice fight, I love the idea to fight Cannonier, and (UFC suggested that fight) for June. But then two days ago, UFC come back and say, ‘Paulo, you fight Strickland on June 1.’

“It’s a great fight. It’s a fun fight, even (more fun) than Cannonier, I think. Unfortunately I don’t know what happened. Strickland say no, he don’t want to fight me. Strickland, he refused to fight me unfortunately. That’s what UFC told me. I just have this information from UFC. I think this fight would be great. I would love to fight him.”

Strickland didn’t deny that he was offered Costa but suggested on X that he wasn’t in agreement with the pay.

Strickland lost his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis in a tightly contested battle at UFC 297 in January. He campaigned for an immediate rematch, but it appears the promotion has other plans.

Costa is coming off an entertaining decision loss to former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February. Prior to that, he outlasted Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 278.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

Michael Bisping, Anthony Smith suggest Sean Strickland as Chris Weidman’s next opponent

Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith want to see Chris Weidman face a marquee name next.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] want to see [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] face a marquee name next.

Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) picked up his first win since August 2020 when he defeated Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54 – a TKO finish which was later ruled a unanimous decision after instant replay showed Weidman poking Silva in the eyes twice before dropping him.

Although there was controversy surrounding the finish, Smith thinks former champion Weidman still has the ability to face elite-level competition at middleweight.

“Skill for skill, I think he can compete with everybody in that division up to the very top,” Smith said on a recent episode of the “Believe You Me” podcast. “But it’s just, can he stay healthy enough to put a run together? … If you can get him a big name, halfway up, maybe fast-track him.”

Looking through the rankings, Bisping threw out the name [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), who recently lost his middleweight title in a competitive battle against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297.

“Give him Sean Strickland,” Bisping said. “Sean Strickland-Chris Weidman: ‘The All-American’ against ‘Here’s the thing guys’ American. Do it. I think that’s a good matchup.”

Smith was on board with the idea right away.

“That’s a really good fight,” Smith said. “I didn’t even think about that. I’m going to text him that right now.”

Strickland would be considered a big step up in competition after Weidman rebounded with a win over unranked Silva. Prior to that, the 39-year-old dropped a decision to Brad Tavares at UFC 292 – his first fight back after suffering a gruesome leg break in April 2021.

[lawrence-related id=2729717,2729713,2729598,2729380]

Robert Whittaker: UFC didn’t love Sean Strickland as champ, will likely give Israel Adesanya title shot next

Dricus Du Plessis opened the vote to fans on who he should fight next, and Robert Whittaker has chimed in.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] opened the vote to fans on who he should fight next, and [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] has chimed in.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) asked fans if he should settle his grudge match with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] next, or run things back with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], who he dethroned in a close decision win at UFC 297.

Fans voted in favor of Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), who’s recently been campaigning for an immediate rematch with Du Plessis. But, considering Strickland’s controversial nature, Whittaker doubts the UFC will be on board.

“I don’t know, mate – me,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Call me out you bum. I can see them making that Izzy fight because of the bad blood between them, because of South Africa and that whole story arc.

“I can’t really see the UFC getting behind Strickland again. I don’t think they loved him as a champ to begin with, so I don’t think they’re really gunning for that rematch. I don’t know.”

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) suffered a TKO loss to Du Plessis at UFC 290 last July, but rebounded with an impressive performance over Paulo Costa at UFC 298. The former champion thinks Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) getting the next title shot benefits him, as he’s eyeing a fight with Strickland next.

“I’m kind of hoping Dricus gets Izzy in a sense, just so that I can fight Strickland,” Whittaker said.

[lawrence-related id=2721552,2721499,2721701]

Daniel Cormier concerned with Sean Strickland’s mental health struggles: ‘That’s a plea for help’

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier urges people to take Sean Strickland’s vents on mental health seriously.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] urges people to take seriously [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s vents on mental health.

Former UFC middleweight champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) recently opened up about his mental health struggles and claimed he was “mentally unwell” and a “danger to people.”

Strickland has been vocal about his childhood trauma in the past, and Cormier thinks his constant statements about his mental health is a cause for concern.

“Sean Strickland is a guy that has a very, very dark past,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We all know that. But that dark past has served to make him a world-champion fighter and a guy that is willing to go through so much adversity. Go through so many ups and downs, never lose sight of the goal and what’s in front of him, and has made himself a former world champion. …He said that he’s rich, and still can’t get past the hurdles mentally. I want to make sure that, we as the consumer, treat this in the same manner, in which we treated Alexander Volkanovski when he spoke about his issues mentally.

“When speaking mental health and mental issues, I believe that all the biases or the opinions we have of this certain fighter whether you love him or you hate him, have to take a back seat and we have to look at the human being. When Volk said he was in his own head, we all rushed to speak to him, his strength, and how much anyone was willing to help. We need to make sure we do the same thing for Sean Strickland. …That’s a plea for help. So we as the mixed martial arts community, should rush to his side again. Just like we did for Alexander Volkanovski.”

Strickland is currently campaigning for an immediate rematch with Dricus Du Plessis, who dethroned him with a close decision win to claim the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January.

[lawrence-related id=2725673,2714982,2714267,2714204]

Sean Strickland tells Jon Jones to ‘sack up’ and fight Tom Aspinall, Conor McGregor to ‘retire on a yacht’

Sean Strickland had some choice words for Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] had some choice words for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

The former UFC middleweight champion was asked about heavyweight champion Jones’ interaction with interim champ Tom Aspinall, where Jones removed Aspinall’s hand from his shoulder. Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) wants to fight Stipe Miocic upon his return, but Strickland thinks he should simply unify his belt with Aspinall.

“At the end of the day, Jon Jones is a piece of sh*t,” Strickland told The Schmo. “I know that, the whole world knows that, we don’t need to reiterate his past. He needs to sack up, fight Aspinall and f*cking just get the sh*t done.”

Strickland, who’s campaigning to rematch middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, was also harsh on McGregor. “The Notorious” is currently promoting the release of his movie “Road House,” which premieres March 21 on Prime Video.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vented his frustration on the lack of communication with the UFC in regards to his return. He hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in July 2021, but Strickland questions if the fans’ desire to watch him compete is still there.

“I don’t know, man. Do we really care about Conor McGregor these days? I mean, he’s a juiced-out, roided-out guy,” Strickland said. “I mean, do we still care about Conor McGregor? Is he still a name in the UFC? Dude, go retire on a yacht. Be done with your sh*t.”

[lawrence-related id=2725489,2725464,2724647,2721659]

Former UFC champion Sean Strickland vents mental health struggles: ‘I feel like I’m a danger to people’

In a video posted online, Sean Strickland opened up about mental health issues and thoughts of harming others.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] says he has everything he wants in life, but still struggles with mental health issues and thoughts of harming other people.

Despite openly admitting he has unresolved childhood trauma, Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) doesn’t believe therapy will help get him to a better mental state.

“The problem with therapy, I think they would just convince me to like f*cking start killing everybody,” Strickland said at a recent pre-fight news conference.

Well aware of his mental trauma and the effects it may have on his daily life, Strickland still balks at receiving help. As a result, he often goes down dark paths, especially with a microphone in his hand during UFC fight week media obligations.

Before UFC 297, Strickland went on an unhinged anti-LGBTQ rant after a reporter asked him about a previous statement when he said that having a gay son would mean he failed as a father. All while wearing a t-shirt that read, “A woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand.” In no other major sport would that fly, but the UFC offers a unique space for fighters to say what they want without repercussion, for better or worse.

Fighting is a valuable outlet that helps Strickland exorcise his demons. He spars a lot in the gym, more than most of his peers. Typically, he’s getting his energy out against other pro fighters, but there’s also that time he recently went too hard on streaming influencer Sneako.

“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose,” he wrote about battling demons in the caption of a video posted to Instagram on Monday. In that video, Strickland revealed how dark his thoughts can sometimes get. Despite reaching the peak of his division as a UFC champion and all of the money that comes along with headlining multiple events throughout his career, Strickland admits the mental fight is an ongoing daily struggle.

“All week I’ve been f*cked up, dude,” Strickland started. “I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy sh*t, just f*cking spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like I’m a danger to people. Like I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that – I have everything. I’m rich, I’m famous, I have everything I ever f*cking wanted and I am still mentally unwell. I get in these mindsets to where like I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing, so I can just f*cking lose it and just take out everything on people.

“I think that you guys, in a weird way, are like my family. Like I’ve shared some sh*t with you guys, and you guys have shared some sh*t with me. I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel just because we’ve gone through a lot together. I have everything I want, and I still struggle with mental health. My memory is so short that, like, when I go out into this week, I think to myself, like once I get past it, I think to myself, like, ‘Oh, man. That was a really rough time in my life.’ But then when I really think about it, this happens multiple times a month, every month.”

Strickland continued:

“Again, I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been kind of going through some sh*t. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m going to go train right now and try to hurt all of my friends, and all of the demons will go away. I just want you guys to know that I have everything I could ever want in the world, and I still struggle. So, whatever you guys are going through man, hope y’all feel better. Go to the gym, train. F*cking wish you all the best.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4q_pWIPJfM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[lawrence-related id=2724630,2724387,2711052]

Sean Strickland rematch or Israel Adesanya next? UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis opens vote to fans

UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis is willing to consider fighting Sean Strickland again.

UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] is willing to consider fighting [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] again.

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated Strickland by split decision to claim the 185-pound title at UFC 297 in January. He is projected to make his first title defense against [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] – a fight the promotion tried to make for UFC 300 on April 13. Du Plessis turned it down due to not being recovered from injuries yet.

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) argued that he was robbed and called for a rematch. Du Plessis didn’t shut him down and instead pivoted to the fans to get their input.

“Since this is a spectator sport What do you guys think @SStricklandMMA or @stylebender Just for the record it makes absolutely no difference to me the result will be the same.”

During the UFC 297 post-fight news conference, UFC CEO Dana White said he scored the fight for Strickland, after having it tied 2-2 going into Round 5. Du Plessis saw it completely differently.

“I agree I won 4 in a row.”

Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) hasn’t competed since losing his middleweight title to Strickland this past September at UFC 293. He announced that he’d be taking some time off, but is already ready to compete again.

[lawrence-related id=2711996,2711441,2711329,2711327]