Athletes
Paulo Costa: 'The Eraser' Is Getting Better And Better
Brazilian Middleweight Contender Is In His Prime, And He Says He's Still Improving With Every Fight
Paulo Costa cuts a huge, powerful figure inside the UFC Octagon, and he plans to use his still-evolving skillset to book himself a second shot at the undisputed UFC middleweight title.
Costa takes on former champion Sean Strickland in a five-round middleweight co-main event at UFC 302 on Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey. It's a huge fight for the 185-pound division, as two of the biggest personalities in the division go head-to-head in a bout that could potentially push the winner into a championship bout later this year.
How To Watch UFC 302 In Your Country
And while Strickland's spiky personality might not be to everyone's taste, Costa said he could relate to his opponent on one level in particular.
"He's a little bit crazy sometimes, for how he acts," he said during his media day appearance this week.
"But I think he's a good guy. He's a patriot, he wants the best for his country and for his people, and me, as well. So I think we're on the same side! Yes, he talks a lot, but that's good for promotion.
"I think we're going to deliver a great, huge fight and huge entertainment for everyone, me and Sean on Saturday. So I'm very excited."
The matchup is notable for Costa's swift turnaround from his last outing. He went to the scorecards in a losing effort against former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February, and now, four months later, he'll be back in the Octagon again. It's a stark contrast from the last few years, which have seen him fight just once per calendar year from 2018 to 2022, with no fights at all in 2023.
Order UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier
"I'm feeling great," he said, as he explained his decision to make a swift turnaround.
"After that fight against Whittaker – I think it was a great fight – I was a long time without showing up in the cage, but after the fight I felt good, no injuries, you know? I didn't hurt, so why not?
"Why not keep the progress, and not lose all the work that I did for that fight?
"We had a great match (booked) – first it was Cannonier, then it was changed for Strickland. So, why not? I'm feeling good, in shape. This is a great opportunity."
Despite his defeat to Whittaker in Anaheim, Costa is clearly taking plenty of positives from his performance, including the fact that he showed some new wrinkles to his game. And the Brazilian contender backed up comments made by his coach, Captain Eric Albarracin, that we would see "a different Paulo Costa" this weekend against Strickland.
"My version against Whittaker was pretty good," he suggested.
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"I think we just make some adjustments. Of course, every fight you can upgrade, you can evolve. We evolve every fight, and we are very hard workers. So all the coaches, they work so hard to improve me and to advance my level.
"I agree with Captain Eric. Each camp I'm better than before. I'm still in my prime – I'm 33 years old, I'm feeling great, my body is responding better and better. I don't know until when, but right now, I can assure you guys that every fight I'm going to show better and better."
And Costa hinted that we should prepare to see some new skills and new techniques from "The Eraser" on fight night as he looks to score a big win to push himself back into title contention once again.
"For this fight, five rounds, (it's) even better, because we have more time, more minutes, if the fight goes to the fifth round. So we have a lot of time to show you guys (what we've been working on).
"You saw recently in the fight against Whittaker the spinning back heel kick. I don't think anybody expected that! And for this fight, you guys are gonna see even more things."
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The matchup with Strickland offers Costa the perfect opportunity to bounce back and elevate his stock with one big performance. And, with another top middleweight clash between Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev set to follow in Saudi Arabia later this month, Costa knows that if he can produce a performance to eclipse anything "The Reaper" and "Borz" can muster in Riyadh, a title shot could be on the cards.
"If I knock him out in great style on Saturday, and (Chimaev vs. Whittaker) in Saudi Arabia is not so good, then we can be in front of this. It depends on how I'm gonna perform."
And while Costa appears not to have too much animosity for his opponent this weekend, he did take a lighthearted stab at the AI bot that ranked UFC fighters to produce a list of the most handsome athletes in the organization.
That ranking saw Costa listed second, behind Conor McGregor, but ahead of his opponent this weekend.
"I'm happy that I beat Strickland!" he laughed.
"Yeah, I'm the BLF – the best-looking fighter ever! What's going on? I think this AI is not so good!"
UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses, and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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