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Middleweight contender Paulo Costa has sent a video message to Sean Strickland after Twitter banned the American fighter from the platform. Strickland posted multiple transphobic messages that resulted in his account being suspended.
'The Eraser' responded to the news from BJPenn.com with a tweet and video. The caption reads:
"I will pray for your soul"
Paulo Costa then followed up his tweet by posting a meme video, sarcastically admitting he is sad Sean Strickland is no longer on Twitter.
The ban on Strickland's Twitter account comes just before the world celebrates Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community in June. It is meant to be a month of celebrations with parades, festivals and more, where the world reflects on the struggles that members of the LGBTQ+ community have faced.
The now-removed transphobic comments by Sean Strickland read:
"I'M ACTUALLY A FAN OF PRIDE MONTH.. BIG FAN OF THE B IN LGBT LMAO!!! TRANS PEOPLE THOUGH GOD I CAN'T F**KING STAND TRANS PEOPLE.. HAS TO BE SOME FORM OF MENTAL RETARDATION…"
This was followed by a second tweet:
"IF YOU HAVE A C**K AND B***S, EVEN IF YOU REMOVE THEM YOU WILL NEVER BE A F**KING WOMAN BOTTOM LINE. I DON'T GIVE A F**K IF YOU GROW YOUR HAIR OUT AND CUT YOUR C**K OFF. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A N*TLESS MENTALLY ILL MAN BOTTOM LINE."
Known for his outlandish remarks and comments on social media, it's clear that Strickland often crosses acceptable limits. The fighter has been on an impressive run in the UFC with a six-fight win streak. However, it is unclear as to whether his recent comments will affect his standing with the UFC.
Chael Sonnen believes Paulo Costa will miss weight for his fight against Luke Rockhold
Never shy about making big predictions, Chael Sonnen has once again made another big claim. This time it is about Paulo Costa. Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' expressed his displeasure that 'The Eraser' hasn't made the move up to the light heavyweight division. Furthermore, he insisted that Costa is going to miss weight ahead of his fight with Luke Rockhold:
"Paulo can't make weight. Paulo's not going to make weight. I'm not looking into some crystal ball here...We know that Chael personally has made a very loud and boisterous push to get Paulo out of the division completely and just give him a fresh coat of paint and a new start at 205 pounds. Now if I'm wrong and he pulls down to 185, fine, eat my words. But I'm very comfortable telling you guys that's not going to happen."
It is widely known that Paulo Costa is a huge middleweight. It is also well documented that 'Borrachinha' struggles to cut weight. The Brazilian's fight against Marvin Vettori in October last year had to be changed to a 205lbs contest after he failed to make the middleweight limit.
Both Costa and Rockhold are coming off the back of two successive losses. Their bout was originally scheduled for UFC 277 on July 30. Now there are reports suggesting that it could be moved to a UFC event on August 20.
Regardless, the bout will be a stepping stone for the winner to have yet another run at the title. The fight against Costa will be a return to middleweight for Rockhold after an unsuccessful attempt at light heavyweight in 2019.
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Paulo Costa missing weight here:
