ADMIN
Before Sean Strickland booked his fight with Paulo Costa on June 1, the UFC was hoping to book a fight between the former world middleweight champion and undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland's coach is Eric Niksik. told James Lynch during a recent interview that the promotion was targeting a fight between the two at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 before switching to Costa. According to Niksik, the fight was canceled due to travel issues on Strickland's part.
“I know they (UFC) were hoping for Khamzat, but I don’t think Shawn will be able to go to Saudi Arabia or anything like that; I’m not 100% sure,” Niksik said. “But I know that Khamzat’s name may have been made public. Hamzat will be a big deal in Saudi Arabia and in my opinion this fight is more about the location than the opponent.”
Khamzat Chimaev will instead face Robert Whittaker when the UFC debuts at the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital of Riyadh next month.
Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa are desperate for victory at UFC 302
Three weeks before “Greyhounds” returns to the Octagon, UFC 302 will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, with one or two can't-miss fights, headlined by a massive lightweight world title fight weight Current and defending 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev takes on division hero Dustin Poirier.
In the co-main event, fans will see Sean Strickland look to bounce back after losing the middleweight belt to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Standing in the way of Strickland getting back into the win column will be Paulo Costa, the Brazilian star determined to return for a title shot after falling short against Robert Whittaker in February.
Costa's last Octagon win came in August 2022 during a strangely entertaining bout with another former 185-pound titleholder, Luke Rockhold.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings