Paulo Costa

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.

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa has revealed that he has been offered a fight with the promotion's former featherweight champion Sean Strickland. He also stated that Shawn refused to fight. Strickland later responded to those words by stating that he was not being given the fee he was asking for.

Paulo Costa, former UFC middleweight title challenger, has revealed that he has been offered a fight with the organization's former middleweight champion Sean Strickland.