Kosport Magazine: Paulo Costa Calls Out Sean Strickland for Refusing to Fight
Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa recently revealed that he was offered two potential fights, one with fellow one-time title challenger Jared Cannonier and the other with Sean Strickland. While Costa was initially excited about the prospect of facing Cannonier, his promoter came back with the news that Strickland had refused to fight him.
In an interview with The Coach and The Casual, Costa expressed his disappointment at Strickland’s decision, stating that he would have loved to fight him. However, Strickland’s team has yet to respond to the news.
Costa’s potential fight with Strickland was set to take place at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. However, with Strickland’s refusal, Costa may have to look for another path back to the title.
Strickland, on the other hand, has been campaigning for a rematch with Dricus du Plessis, who defeated him at UFC 297 and denied him a first title defense. Strickland’s only other loss in recent years was to Cannonier, who won a close decision at UFC Vegas 66.
Interestingly, du Plessis recently asked his fans whether a rematch with Strickland or a fight with rival and former champ Israel Adesanya would be best for his first title defense. The two have been circling each other for months and were originally set to fight at UFC 293 before a du Plessis injury forced the cancellation of the bout. Strickland stepped in as a replacement and pulled off a massive upset over Adesanya to capture the title.
With du Plessis now at the top of the division, Costa’s chances of a title shot have significantly improved. However, if Strickland continues to refuse to fight him, Costa may have to take a different route to get back into title contention.
Summary:
In a recent interview, Paulo Costa revealed that he was offered a fight with Sean Strickland, but the latter refused to fight him. This news comes as a disappointment to Costa, who was excited about the potential matchup. Strickland, on the other hand, has been campaigning for a rematch with Dricus du Plessis, who defeated him at UFC 297. With du Plessis now at the top of the division, Costa’s chances of a title shot have improved, but he may have to take a different path if Strickland continues to refuse to fight him.
