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Sean Strickland isn't certain his upcoming fight will take place and a previous opponent seems willing to step up if things fall out.
The former UFC middleweight champion is set to take on former 185-pound title challenger Paulo Costa. This Strickland versus Costa contest is set for the co-main event of UFC 302 on June 1. But the former does not seem particularly confident that this pay-per-view main card fight will even take place.
In an Instagram post from MMA Junkie, Sean Strickland was quoted as stating:
"I've heard you've yet to sign that contract.... You're being a weak f******* man. If you can't sack up and make this s**** happen, we'll get someone for you to talk to. Don't disappoint me. Don't disappoint the fans. Let me make you f****** bleed."
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Jared Cannonier has a fight of his own lined up for one week after UFC 302 where he collides with Nassourdine Imavov in a UFC Fight Night main event on June 8. That being said, he seemed game to take Costa's place in the event he drops out as evidenced by his IG account @killagorillamma commenting on the post:
"I'm your huckleberry"
![[Image Courtesy: @mmajunkie comment section]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/05/98aed-17159695577907-1920.jpg)
Check out Cannonier indicating interest in a possible Strickland rematch below:
Sean Strickland and the history with Jared Cannonier
If the Costa fight were to fall out, this would not be the first time that Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier have fought in the UFC.
The 33-year-old clashed with Cannonier in a December 2022 UFC Fight Night main event clash that ended up going the full 25 minutes.
When the judges' scorecards were read aloud, a split decision verdict was rendered with the narrow win going in the favor of Jared Cannonier.
Since their first fight, the two men have gone on different paths within the UFC.
Sean Strickland put together a three-fight winning streak over the aforementioned Imavov, Abus Magomedov, and Israel Adesanya. He would cement himself as the UFC middleweight champion with the Adesanya win but it was not to be for too long.
At UFC 297 in January, Sean Strickland dropped the gold in yet another split decision defeat that saw Dricus Du Plessis become the newly minted king at 185 pounds.
Conversely, Cannonier has been out of the cage for close to a year and has only fought once since the Strickland victory. 'Killa Gorilla' bested Marvin Vettori by way of unanimous decision in their UFC Fight Night headliner last June.
