UFC middleweight stars Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa have agreed to fight each other at UFC 302, after Strickland’s concerns about pay were addressed by the UFC.
So, here’s the scoop. Sean Strickland said yes to a fight with Paulo Costa. And where did he do it? On social media, of all places. This sets up a face-off between these two UFC middleweight big shots.
Now, Costa had earlier claimed that Strickland had declined an offer for UFC 302. Strickland, on the other hand, hinted that he was after a pay raise to fight Costa, who once challenged for the middleweight title.
After a sit-down with the UFC, Strickland says his concerns have been sorted out. He tweeted, “Had a meeting with the UFC and told them that I don’t want to be rich. I just want to support a family after my career is done.”
He added, “They were pretty supportive, made it happen. Thanks, fans!” He then called out @BorrachinhaMMA, saying, “You got your wish… Let’s do some bleeding.”
So, with Strickland’s tweet, it seems like verbal agreements are in place for a Strickland-Costa fight. A source in the know told MMA Fighting that contracts should be finalized soon. The bout is likely to be the co-main event of UFC 302.
UFC 302? It’s happening on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. You can catch the main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Strickland had initially turned down Costa. He then let fans in on his financial demands, revealing his pay to be less than $200,000 to show and $200,000 to win. He asked fans how much they thought he was offered to face the Brazilian slugger on seven weeks’ notice.
Costa is just two months out from a decision loss to ex-champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 298. This sent him back to the drawing board after a dominant win over ex-champ Luke Rockhold at UFC 278.
Strickland had initially pushed for a rematch with current champ Dricus du Plessis. Du Plessis had outpointed him at UFC 297 to win the title after his unlikely upset of Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
The main event for UFC 302 hasn’t been revealed by the promotion yet. However, a heavyweight bout between Jailton Almeida and Alexandr Romanov has been confirmed for the summer fight card.