Paulo Costa vows to not repeat mistake against Sean Strickland that may have cost him Robert Whittaker fight - "I will be a machine-hitter" 

Paulo Costa recently discussed his thoughts on his upcoming bout against Sean Strickland, promising not to make the same mistakes that cost him the Robert Whittaker fight.

Costa and Strickland verbally agreed to face off on social media. The Brazilian previously stated that Strickland turned down an offer for UFC 302. However, 'Tarzan' then revealed that he was looking for a pay raise for the potential bout.

After speaking with the promotion, Strickland revealed on X that his issues had been addressed.

Following the conclusion of UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White appeared in front of the media, where he officially announced the UFC 302 card. Costa will return to action for the second time this year against the No. 1 ranked middleweight contender. The two will face off in the co-main event of the pay-per-view in a five-round bout. The event is set to take place on June 1 in Newark, New Jersey.

In his last octagon outing at UFC 298, Costa squared off against Whittaker. After a hard-fought three rounds, the former was defeated via unanimous decision.

Costa recently took to X and pointed out the errors he committed when facing Whittaker. He promised to bounce back strong, writing:

''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"

Check out Paulo Costa's tweet below:

Meanwhile, Strickland lost his middleweight title to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 via split decision. He will look to build on his current position as the division's top player, which puts him ahead of Israel Adesanya, to mount another title challenge.

---

Paulo Costa reacts to Sean Strickland's fan following in MMA

Paulo Costa responded wryly to the claim that Sean Strickland's fan base is the worst in the MMA world.

The former middleweight champion of the UFC is well known for his bold and unabashed actions in the mixed martial arts community. 'Tarzan's' controversial views sometimes lead to heated discussions among his admirers and detractors.

A famous MMA-centric page called Dovy asked its followers on X, "Which fighter has the worst fanbase?" with a photo of Strickland. In response to the question, 'Borrachinha', a self-described 'Meme Lord', wrote:

"I jeezagree"

Check out Paulo Costa's tweet below: