"I'm going to do it for Brazil" - Sean Strickland vows to make Paulo Costa "bleed" at UFC 302

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland will return to action for a second time this year against No. 7-ranked contender Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

Strickland took to Instagram and declared that he would make Costa bleed even though he personally did like him. 'Tarzan' went on to state that he would punish Costa for his home country of Brazil, where he is apparently disliked.

Strickland said:

"You know, you guys, I like Costa. Costa, he's a funny guy. He makes me laugh. He's pro-free speech. I like that guy. But I'm going to make that dirty Brazilian bleed. And you know, I'm going to do it for Brazil cause Brazil doesn't even like Costa. So hey, Brazil, this one's for you guys. Let's get it done."

Both Strickland and Costa are fan favorites and are quite interactive on social media with their own distinct sense of humor. They have both also lost their last fights and will look to get back in the win column in UFC 302's co-main event.

Check out Sean Strickland's full comments below on Instagram:

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Paulo Costa vows to amend mistakes from his last fight for upcoming matchup against Sean Strickland

Paulo Costa's last outing against Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 resulted in a unanimous decision defeat.

It also marked his third loss in four fights and Costa is keen to change things up. In a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter), 'Borrachinha' reviewed his performance against Whittaker and speculated whether his lower volume of strikes factored on the judges' scorecards more than the damage he inflicted.

Costa made a resolution to pepper Sean Strickland with strikes and pump up his numbers. He wrote:

"I just rewatched my fight w Whittaker , I needed to add a little more rhythm and strokes. Maybe that's why the judges gave it 2x1 in the rounds in his favor. scores."

"I prioritized the damage factor, leaving him bleeding and bloody in every round even with fewer hits. I'm going to force myself to hit more from now on and keep hurting . Mark my works, I will be a machine hitter in the nexts [fire emoji] [exploding head emoji] [beverage box emoji]"

Check out Paulo Costa's full comments in the X post below: