The middleweight division is rather unstable at the moment. Since Israel Adesanya lost the title to Sean Strickland, the octagon’s middleweight strap has yet to be defended. In the UFC 302 main card, two top-ranked Middleweights are set to scrap against each other in the cage.
Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa are set to take on each other to get back in the win column and move closer to a title shot in the UFC. Former champion Israel Adesanya is in heavy favor of Strickland to emerge as the winner for a peculiar reason.
Israel Adesanya makes his pick
Israel Adesanya has been one of the longest-reigning middleweight champions in recent times. The kickboxer knows what goes on at the absolute top of the division. In a recently uploaded video on his YouTube channel, Izzy picked who will emerge victorious in the cage this weekend. He said,
Costa might get jabbed the f*ck outta this one. He’s definitely gonna get tired and Strickland’s gonna take advantage of that.
Israel Adesanya made it clear that Strickland will have a heavy advantage in this fight, mainly due to his boxing style and consistent use of jabs in the cage. Costa will have to be a bit more aggressive in the octagon if he wants to win and use a ton of body kicks if he wants to put away Strickland. The duo will meet in the five-round co-main event in UFC 302.
Sean Strickland lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis in the cage earlier this year, whereas Costa lost to Robert Whittaker in a close fight in the octagon. Strickland might get closer to the Middleweight strap in the cage with a win. Due to both fighters’ striking, heavy style, one thing’s for sure: the bout will be spectacular.
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Paulo Costa is the underdog entering the matchup, and he will need to dial up his aggressiveness to secure a victory over the former champion. It will be interesting to see what happens in the Middleweight division in the near future.
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