Sean Strickland calls Paulo Costa ‘dirty Brazilian’ and vows to make him bleed at UFC 302

Sean Strickland hypes up UFC 302 PPV by trash-talking Paulo Costa.

Sean Strickland calls Paulo Costa ‘dirty Brazilian’ and vows to make him bleed at UFC 302

Sean Strickland promises to beat Paulo Costa despite liking his personality (via Imago)

Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will compete against each other in around a month’s time at UFC 302. Strickland recently addressed the fight on his YouTube channel while continuing his preparation for the next PPV in the US.. Despite liking Costa’s personality, Strickland didn’t miss the opportunity to take a sneaky jibe at the Brazilian.

While talking about the upcoming battle at UFC 302, Sean Strickland liked the hilarious nature of Costa. However, the ‘Tarzan’ claimed he would destroy Costa on the night of the fight. Moreover, he claimed that Brazilian fans did not claim Costa as much as they did for fighters like Charles Oliveira and Alex Pereira. 

You know what, you guys? I like Costa. he’s a funny guy. 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
Sean Strickland via YouTube
YouTube video

A few weeks back, when UFC asked Strickland for the Paulo Costa fight, the former champion initially rejected it due to the fight purse. In that situation, Costa sided with Strickland instead of mocking him. They showed mutual respect for each other. However, that doesn’t mean they will not hunt for a finish inside the octagon.

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UFC 302 will feature a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier as the main event. The addition of Strickland is massive, as the American fighter is among the most popular stars in the UFC. Fans reacted positively to him at UFC 297 (in Canada) and UFC 293 (in Australia). The UFC 302 PPV card does not have star power other than Makhachev and Poirier. Hence, the addition of Costa and Strickland will add much-needed star power to the card.

Paulo Costa hits back at Sean Strickland for dirty Brazilian remarks 

As expected, Sean Strickland’s remarks were seen by Paulo Costa, who didn’t waste much time to respond. Costa is one of the funniest UFC fighters on the roster. The fighter has a huge fanbase who particularly follows him for his humor and outrageous tweets. 

Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland
Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland (via MMA Fighting/X)

‘Borrachinha’ took to X to reply to Strickland’s comments. The Brazilian fighter fired back at Strickland, claiming also to have a Mexican heritage.

Hijo da p*ta, soy Mexicano (Son of a b*tch). I'm half-Mexican, what are you talking about?
Paulo Costa via X

The tweet was hilarious, and Costa danced while cursing Strickland for calling him a dirty Brazilian. This is an important fight for both fighters. A win would re-insert Costa back into the title picture. A loss could pull the Brazilian further away from the top of the division.

On the other hand, Strickland could make a serious claim for the next title shot. Not too long ago, he lost the middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis via split decision. As such, both fighters need a win to fight for a title in the not-too-distant future.

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