UFC Middleweight contender Sean Strickland has revealed that he is a fan of fellow middleweight Paulo Costa’s deluded, demented mind.
Sean Strickland is known for no-filter trash talking. He barely thinks of consequences before opening his mouth. So far, his trash talking seems to be working as he has won 4 fights on the trot.
Strickland is scheduled to fight the unranked Alex Pereira at UFC 276. The event will be headlined by the UFC Middleweight Championship between defending champion Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannoneir. Strickland will surely be keeping his eyes on the result of the fight, as a win over Pereira could land him a title shot. Pereira holds two victories over Adesanya, so Strickland will have his work cut out for him.
One man who tried to replicate Pereira is Brazilian Middleweight contender Paulo Costa. Costa is known for his over-the-top trash talking and call-outs. Some people have drawn parallels between him and Strickland, and the number 4 Middleweight admitted that he is a fan of Costa’s trash-talking.
Speaking to Helen Yee, Strickland said, “I’m actually a big fan of Costa. He might be a little retarded, I’ll give him that, But I have never met a man who says more offensive shit than me. So Paulo, I would beat you in a fight, but as far as your deluded, demented mind, I’m a fan of it.”
It is hard to comprehend how much of that was appreciation, and how much was a jibe. It will be interesting to see how Costa responds to this.
Costa was one of the hyped fighters in the middleweight division. But ever since getting knocked out by the Champion, he has somewhat derailed form that hype. He has since lost to Marvin Vettori but is rumored to fight Luke Rockhold next.
