Athletes
Sean Strickland: ‘I Want The Title Fight’
Former Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland Hopes To Get Back Into The Title Conversation With A Win At UFC 302: Makhachev vs Strickland
You could probably count the amount of fighters who enjoy preparing for five-round fights on two hands. Sean Strickland is emphatically one of them. In fact, if there was only one fighter who would qualify for such a description, it would be Strickland. If it came to a point where you couldn’t think of any fighters, that probably means Strickland decided to hang up the gloves.
So, when UFC matchmakers came up with an offer to fight Paulo Costa in the co-main event at UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier with the option between three and five rounds, there was really only one answer.
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“I always like five just because it gives me an excuse to spar more,” Strickland told UFC.com when we visited him at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. “I get more rounds in the gym. (It) makes my life better.”
Already predisposed to enjoy his training camp, Strickland also enjoyed sharing rounds with Cesar Almeida, who fights Roman Kopylov in Newark.
A happy fighter is an effective fighter, and Strickland’s record attests to that. He has fought in seven five-rounders in his last eight fights, winning five of them, as well as the middleweight title in 2023’s upset of Israel Adesanya. The lone three-round fight ended in a first-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 276.
Moreover, his two losses in five-round bouts came to Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis, both via split decision, the latter resulting in losing the belt. Strickland, who was vocally apathetic about his status as champion, still feels a certain way about the result in Toronto.
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“At the end of the day, I know I won my last fight,” he said. “I got f***ed… 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.”
While Strickland clearly wants that belt back around his waist, particularly in a rematch with Du Plessis, he has a stout task in front of him in Costa.
He claims to not have watched Costa fight so much but is aware of some of the attacks that’ll come his way from the marauding Brazilian. Although “The Eraser” has only won one of his last four fights, he remains a factor in the title picture at 185 pounds. His fight with Whittaker proved he has the goods to compete with the division’s best.
When asked about his foe, Strickland articulated awareness of Costa’s sneaky-fast kicking ability but drew confidence from some of the people who bested him. That established, Strickland does expect what he always expects in a fight, which is to say he’s ready to march forward, wade into the fire, drain Costa and come out of the other end the victor.
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“I think we're in a war,” Strickland said. “I think it's going to be a five-round war. We'll see how his cardio holds up. I know he has an issue with that. Hopefully he f***ing trained hard and he's doing the right things and preparing for our death match.”
The 33-year-old former champion had one of the most whiplash-inducing years in 2023. He opened the UFC schedule with his decision loss to Cannonier. Six months later, he was the undisputed middleweight champion.
So, when he bemoans the stagnant state of the middleweight division, he also knows the best thing he can do is win on June 1 and jump at the next opportunity. He hopes that manifests into a rematch with Du Plessis, but regardless of who has the belt, Strickland wants another go at it.
For now, though, he has some high-profile business to take care of in Brick City. He went about his usual business of sparring endless rounds, and in a few days, he makes another walk toward a half-hour in the Octagon. Naturally, he looks at it all matter-of-factly.
“Now, it's in the hands of the gods,” he said.
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!
