Henry Cejudo doesn’t like Paulo Costa’s possibilities towards Sean Strickland if the struggle stays standing.
Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets former UFC middleweight champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) co-main occasion at Prudential Heart in Newark, N.J.
Cejudo warns Costa that if he doesn’t combine issues up towards Strickland, it’s going to be a protracted night time for him.
“Paulo Costa, there’s one factor that I’ll say about him: He trains like a mad man, however as a result of he trains like a freakin’ mad man, he will get harm, he will get injured,” Cejudo stated on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “He nonetheless hasn’t realized his lesson man and if he does simply resolve to strike with a man like Sean Strickland, Strickland’s received higher placing for my part.
“Possibly he doesn’t kick, however he out-struck your boy. He out-struck Israel Adesanya, and that was simply primarily based on stress. Paulo’s all the time the bully, however how does Paulo take care of anyone that’s pressuring you? And belief me, dude, I’m boys with Paulo. Paulo stayed at my home. Tamara, they love my child, however Jesus man, if he simply decides to strike, I’ve received to go along with Strickland.”
Costa will look to rebound after dropping an entertaining back-and-forth battle to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298. Previous to that, he outlasted Luke Rockhold in a Battle of the Night time battle at UFC 278.
After dethroning Israel Adesanya with a placing clinic at UFC 293, Strickland misplaced his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis by break up determination at UFC 297 in January.
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