Paulo Costa

UFC middleweightJared Cannonnier has revealed that he could have fought Paulo Costa at UFC 301

"Initially, the management offered me a fight with Paulo Costa at UFC 301, but I didn't receive permission from the doctors to participate in the tournament until the end of March. So I would have only had a month to prepare for the fight. I didn't want to go back to fighting without proper preparation because I needed to tighten up my wrestling. Also, my knee hadn't fully recovered yet. It wasn't something I wanted to do. Of course, my goal is a contender fight against some of the highly ranked guys. I had hopes of fighting Costa a little later in June, but they gave it to Strickland," Middle Easy quoted Jared as saying.

Eric Nixick, coach of former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, revealed in which round his charge will knockout Paulo Costa.

"I think Shawn will be able to finish Costa by the fourth or fifth round. It's going to be a five-round fight and I feel like that definitely benefits us in terms of toughness and the pressure and pace that Sean can maintain. We've seen what Strickland can do at five-round distance - he's gassing all the time, he's in front of you all the time. So five-round fights are to our advantage," - quotes Eric Nixick portal Sportskeeda.

Recall, the confrontation between Strickland and Costa will take place on June 2 in Newark, USA.

Former UFC middleweight champion and current commentator and analyst Michael Bisping has spoken out about the upcoming fight between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.

"Crazy fight, huh? Costa hits more powerfully, it's clear beforehand. I've trained with Strickland, he's very good in terms of boxing. He almost finished Adesanya in the first round. Shawn is ready to fight dick to dick, nipple to nipple. His style is tied around the jab though. Costa will come forward and punch hard. But Shawn has the advantage of stamina. This will be a five-round fight. And that's a significant advantage for Strickland because he has a style that allows him to conserve energy. Costa hits hard, he throws spinning kicks, he throws high kicks. It's all nice and cool, but those techniques take a lot of energy," Bisping wrote on social media.

Sean Strickland, former UFC middleweight champion, has spoken out about his fight with former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa. Shawn stated that he likes Paulo, but he intends to bleed him dry.

"To be honest, I like Costa. Funny guy, humorous. Plus, he's in favor of free speech. He's my kind of guy. But I'm going to bleed that dirty Brazilian. I'm willing to do it for Brazil. They don't like Costa there. Hey, Brazil, this fight is for you!", - wrote Strickland in his social networks.

Recall that the fight Costa - Strickland will take place at the tournament UFC 302, which is scheduled for June 1.

Sean Strickland, former UFC middleweight champion, announced that he has agreed to fight Paulo Costa, a former challenger for the title.

"I met with the UFC and told them I don't want to be rich, I just want to be able to support my family when my career is over. They were understanding and made it happen. Thank you to the fans! Paulo Costa, you got what you wanted! Let's let some blood flow!"," Strickland wrote on his social media accounts.

Earlier, Strickland stated that he was offered too little for a fight with Costa, so he did not agree to the fight.

Recall, in his last fight, Strickland lost by split decision to Dricus Du Plessis.