Ahead of his showdown with Paulo Costa at UFC 302 this weekend, Sean Strickland’s high pace has been predicted to cause “Borrachinha” problems.
Strickland entered 2024 with the middleweight gold in his possession. But after narrowly losing out to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Canada — and subsequently having his calls for an immediate rematch fall on deaf ears — the former champion must earn a shot at redemption in Newark on Saturday night.
To do so, “Tarzan” is tasked with getting past a fellow high-ranked contender in Paulo Costa, who impressed in defeat when making his long-awaited comeback against Robert Whittaker this past February at UFC 298 in Anaheim.
The Brazilian has noted the importance of notching a finish on June 1 in order to stake his claim for a title shot. But should he be required to go the full distance, Costa has said nothing will stop him from having his hand raised.
Unsurprisingly, Strickland’s coach isn’t so sure…
Nicksick Plans To Use Strickland’s Cardio Against Costa
During a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Nicksick was asked which area of this weekend’s UFC 302 co-main event that he sees as a possible struggle for his man’s opponent.
The Xtreme Couture trainer pointed to Strickland’s renowned five-round pace as a hurdle that could prove to be too tall for Costa on fight night.
“I think, to me, the cardio element, the pacing,” Nicksick said. “Sean dictates a certain kind of pace. Even Izzy (Israel Adesanya) said that after the fight. It’s hard to get a rhythm, hard to get a read on him, especially the first time you’ve ever been in the cage with him. So it takes a while for a lot of guys to feel comfortable.
“Johnny Eblen said it the best. Johnny, the first three or four times he sparred with him was like, ‘Oh my god, this guy is overwhelming.’ It takes you a number of opportunities to start to get a rhythm with him,” Nicksick continued. “A lot of that, for me, is just to lean heavy on that, lean heavy on his awkwardness, and try to maintain that pace and pressure and stay in Paulo’s face; really, stay out of kicking range.”
Strickland will hope to prove his coach right come fight night in New Jersey. Should he accomplish that feat, a potential rematch against either Du Plessis or his expected next opponent Adesanya could await him.
A middleweight match up you can't miss out on!
Only two more sleeps between you and @SStricklandMMA vs @BorrachinhaMMA at #UFC302 💥 pic.twitter.com/8dl3lbmYHV
— UFC (@ufc) May 30, 2024
