Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Sean Strickland got his hand raised at UFC 302 with a split decision win over Paulo Costa in the co-main event from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ @lthomasnews
OFFICIAL UFC 302 RESULTS:
49-46 Costa
50-45 Strickland
49-46 Strickland
Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa via split decision
Judge Dave Tirelli surprised a lot of spectators with a 49-46 score for Costa:
UFC News @UFCNews
#UFC302 Official Scorecard: Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) vs Paulo Costa
Complete Newark Scorecards: https://t.co/oWPVdPrJkb pic.twitter.com/ow2pDe7fjp
Costa had early success with leg kicks. He was able to land a few early ones to Strickland’s calf that appeared to impact his opponent’s movement. That didn’t deter Strickland from keeping up his signature pressure.
That pressure really started to get to Costa in the second round. Costa didn’t have answers and spent much of the round fighting off his back foot and backing away to the cage.
Andreas Hale @AndreasHale
At some point, Costa is gonna have to hold his ground and throw hands. Can’t let Strickland continue to walk him down like this.
Strickland punctuated a solid five minutes of work with a punch that put his opponent on the mat.
The former champion continued to pepper Costa with his jab. While The Eraser was able to have some success with counters to the body he struggled to connect with meaningful head strikes:
Michael Carroll @MJCflipdascript
Unofficially, Paulo Costa’s connected with eight total head strikes through 15 minutes. #UFC302
Others were impressed by Strickland’s effective pressure and unorthodox defense.
Kenny Florian @kennyflorian
Strickland doing Strickland things. The defensive shell and movement of Strickland causing problems yet again. Hard to figure out how to stop something moving towards you that has no rhythm. I expect things to get worse from here for Paulo. #UFC302
Strickland’s offense did hit another gear with a final barrage of kicks and punches aimed at ending the fight in the final seconds of the fifth round. But overall, it was the kind of performance that Strickland has become known for.
SportsCenter @SportsCenter
SEAN STRICKLAND LET IT ALL OUT AT THE END 😤 #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/P8W4eO1mD4
Damon Martin @DamonMartin
This is how Sean Strickland fights.
And that’s not a knock on him at all — if you want to stop it, have a better strategy — but anyone surprised that this is how the fight is going hasn’t watched Strickland before. He’s methodically consistent. #UFC302
The win marks Strickland’s first fight since he lost his belt to Dricus Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 292.
The 33-year-old has put together one of the more interesting career arcs in the UFC right now. Initial attempts to climb the welterweight ladder were thwarted by Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kamaru Usman before he eventually made the move up to 185 pounds.
That move has led him to pulling off a shocking upset of Israel Adesanya and adding a UFC championship to his resume.
It’s an achievement he’s looking forward to repeating after narrowly losing to Du Plessis in his last Octagon appearance.
“I mean, obviously, I want the title fight, but, at the end of the day, I’m a fighter. I’m a prize fighter. So, you give me money, I fight, but that’s what I want. That needs to happen,” he said, per Zac Pacleb of UFC.com.
There’s been some buzz surrounding a potential matchup between Du Plessis and Adesanya but nothing has been officially scheduled as of yet.
That likely sets up a situation where Strickland is going to have to wait his turn if he wants another shot at the strap. Given his tendency to keep a busy schedule, it’s likely we see him in a title eliminator before that happens.
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