Sean Strickland had choices after shedding the UFC middleweight title however wound up with Paulo Costa.
Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) takes on Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) within the UFC 302 co-main occasion June 1 at Prudential Heart in Newark, N.J. However earlier than the Costa match grew to become official, Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture, revealed the UFC brass talked about the potential of a showdown with Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) earlier than he was booked in opposition to Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6.
“I do know they have been hoping for perhaps Khamzat, however I don’t assume Sean can journey to Saudi Arabia or one thing – I’m not 100% positive,” Nicksick stated in an interview with Sportskeeda. “However I do know Khamzat’s identify was probably kicked round. Khamzat goes to be an enormous attract Saudi, and that combat is extra about location than it was concerning the opponent, in my view.”
Strickland was campaigning for a rematch with middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who took his belt by break up choice at UFC 297 in January.
Nicksick praised Du Plessis, and stated the South African really reciprocated curiosity in working it again instantly, however the UFC had different plans.
“I bumped into Dricus, man. I talked to Dricus,” Nicksick stated. “Dricus is a category act, man. I actually get pleasure from having conversations with him. We talked concerning the combat, we talked about life, no matter, they usually stated that they have been asking for the rematch for Sean.
“They have been making an attempt to get the rematch, they usually needed to go a distinct path that’s most likely going to be Izzy (Adesanya), which isn’t any downside. I perceive what the UFC is making an attempt to do, however we have to give attention to Paulo Costa, we have to get that win, and I believe it places us proper again into title competition.”
As for the conflict with Costa, coach Nicksick predicts a late end by Strickland in what can be a five-round combat.
“I believe Sean can get him on the market by Spherical 4 or Spherical 5,” Nicksick stated.
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