Could the UFC 302 co-main event be in jeopardy?
A little over two weeks before the June 1 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says he’s heard opponent Paulo Costa may not have yet committed to the bout.
In a video posted Wednesday entitled “Is Costa out?,” Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) said he’s heard Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has yet to sign the fight contract. He then targeted Costa with several verbal attacks and expletives in an effort to entice “Borrachinha” to put his name on the dotted line.
“Goddamn, Costa. I’ve heard you’ve yet to sign that contract,” Strickland said. “I’ll tell you what, man. I didn’t f*cking believe it. I did not think you’d react like a coward. I thought you would man up, sack up. Instead, you’re acting like you’ve got f*cking ovaries. I went onto Google. I did the right things, gave you the benefit of the doubt. I went onto Google and I noticed something, man. After you fought Izzy, you went down hill. You went on that f*cking deep end, my man. I don’t know what f*cking happened in that little f*cking pea brain you have.
“Do we need to get someone for you to talk to, my man? Do we need to sit you down and have you talk about your f*cking feelings? I think therapy is for weak men. Let me tell you something, dude. You’re being a weak f*cking man. If you can’t sack up and make this sh*t happen, we’ll get someone for you to talk to. Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint the fans. Let me make you f*cking bleed.”
Costa nor the UFC have commented on the matter publicly.
Is costa out? pic.twitter.com/ImSS63WcGj
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) May 15, 2024
A five-round fight, Strickland vs. Costa was announced by UFC CEO Dana White following UFC 300 on April 13. The two fighters engaged in back-and-forth on social media in the weeks surrounding that announcement but between insults acknowledged underlying respect for one another.
As of story publication, the UFC and Prudential Center websites still have the fight listed.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
