Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will face each other in a middleweight clash at UFC 302! According to a post shared on social media, Strickland indicated that the UFC has agreed to set up the fight for the June 1st event scheduled to take place in Newark, New Jersey.

The news comes as a surprise as recently, Costa had stated in an interview that Strickland had refused to fight him. However, the former UFC middleweight champion responded on social media by revealing that his hesitance for the bout stemmed from the pay that was being offered for this fight. But it appears that the issues have been sorted as both men took to social media to share their reactions to the matchup.

Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa get ready for a showdown at UFC 302

In a recent interview on the Coach and Casual show, Paulo Costa stated that he was offered a chance to step into the cage against Sean Strickland, but he ‘refused’ the bout. He revealed, “But then two days ago, the UFC back and said ‘Paulo you fight Strickland on June 1st’. It’s a great fight, a fun fight more fun than Cannonier. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened, Strickland said no. Strickland refused to fight me…”

But the former middleweight champion responded on X by sharing his side of the story as he broke down how the UFC offered him the fight on “7-weeks notice” and he wasn’t happy with the money being offered for the fight.

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However, it seems the UFC has now paid attention to his demands as in a recent update on X, he stated, “Well had a meeting with the UFC and told them that I don’t want to be rich. I want to be able to support a family after my career is done. They actually were pretty supportive, made it happen. Thank you fans! Alright @BorrachinhaMMA you got your wish…  Let’s do some bleeding.”

This drew a cheeky response from Costa, who is known for his humorous side online by the fans, as he shared a picture of himself and Strickland portrayed as ‘cowboys’ with the caption, “Let’s go COWBOY”

With both fighters expressing their reactions on social media, it’s evident that the hurdles have been overcome, and as the matchup draws near, fans can anticipate an exhilarating showdown between two formidable middleweights.

However, Strickland’s initial hesitance to accept the fight also highlighted the issues surrounding the fighter’s income in the UFC.

Strickland reveals stunning details on “short notice” fighter pay

In response to Paulo Costa’s claims that Strickland had “refused” to fight him, ‘Tarzan’ brought to light the behind-the-scenes issues of fighter pay in the promotion. He shared a post on X, where he stated, “Out of curiosity What do you guys think I was offered to fight Costa on 7 weeks notice? Base contract…”

This drew several comments from the fans who estimated numbers like $500,000 to which Strickland responded by stating that it was far less than the actual amount. Another fan estimated that the former 185 lbs champion was offered a “$200K show, $200 K win, $10 K fight week incentive”, but even that was shut down by Strickland as he stated, “close, but less.”

He then went on to proclaim that, “lmao my man its cut throat in here.. 99 percent of ufc fighters will never see a million their entire career”. As such, Sean Strickland’s initial refusal emphasized the importance of fair pay for fighters, acknowledging the difficulties they face in earning substantial amounts, especially on short notice.

Do you think Sean Strickland will be able to find his way back to a title shot with a win over Paulo Costa? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

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