Paulo Costa has questioned whether Sean Strickland has the necessary cojones to keep pace with him in the Octagon this weekend.
The two middleweights are set to do battle on the UFC 302 main card from Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night in a fight which will likely have ramifications for establishing a contender for Dricus du Plessis’ 185-pound title — and Costa, who has recently garnered a reputation for being one of the organisation’s more irreverent characters, says that the notoriously red-blooded Strickland is too much of a “soy boy” to hang with him — even if he admits that he respects the former champion.
“He already beat Adesanya. If Adesanya beats Dricus and if Sean beats me he’s going to be next,” Costa told the media, including The Mac Life, of what is at stake on Saturday night. “But let’s see. You never know. I have beef with Adesanya as well, and against Chimaev. [Anything] can happen.”
Asked to address his comments on social media that he views Strickland as a “soy boy with a liberal chin,” Costa said: “Yes, I think that.”
However, he added, “I think in the bottom he’s a good guy. He’s a patriot. He wish the best for his country and for his people.”
You can watch Costa’s full comments in the video above.
