UFC News: Paulo Costa Vows Comeback After Sean Strickland Loss

Paulo Costa was uncharacteristically reserved in his UFC 302 performance against Sean Strickland. ‘The Eraser’ was kept at bay for the full 25 minutes as Strickland jabbed and teeped his way to a comfortable decision victory.

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UFC News: Paulo Costa Vows Comeback After Sean Strickland Loss
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Fans of the Brazilian were disappointed to see a different Costa in the octagon that night, rather than the one known for walking down Yoel Romero or demolishing Uriah Hall.

Costa: ‘I Will Come to Take Heads Off’ in UFC Return

Costa is aware of this and vows to ‘take heads off’ when he returns to fighting. The middleweight fighter took to X shortly after UFC 302, where he vented his frustration with his performance and made bold promises to his fans.

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“I will bring back the Paulo to take heads off, to finish the fight,” Costa remarked. “… I have the power, so I need to deliver that. And I will do that. I won’t give a f***. F*** points or conserving energy or f*** anything about that. I will come to take heads off.

“And this is who I am,” He continued. “… This is the kind of fighter I am, and the fighter who people expect that I perform. So I will do that. F*** points, I’ve enough of this.”

With his defeat to Strickland, Costa is 1-4 in his last five UFC appearances. He’ll desperately need a victory to keep his middleweight ranking.


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Mathew Riddle