Paulo Costa claims his skillset has diversified significantly since losing his title to Israel Adesanya in 2020.
Costa was unbeaten in 13 professional fights, scoring 12 finishes before taking home the gold against Adesanya at UFC 253. Adesanya displayed impressive striking to hand “Borrachinha” his first defeat via technical knockout in the second round.
Costa has since fallen to 1-2, but the Brazilian recently put in a tenacious performance against Robert Whittaker, coming close to knocking “The Reaper” out in a unanimous decision loss. Costa said he has developed some new weapons since losing to “The Last Stylebender.”
Order now! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+ “I’ve grown so much as a fighter and as a person. [I’m] “I have a lot more skills now than I did before,” Costa told ESPN MMA.
[a] The spinning back kick that everyone saw in the Whittaker fight. And I’ve also improved my wrestling, jiu-jitsu and boxing.”
Costa is scheduled to face former champion Sean Strickland (28-6) in a five-round battle in the co-main event of UFC 302 this weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The former middleweight champion calls Costa a predictable, “basic” fighter who relies primarily on catching his opponent’s lunges. However, Costa believes Strickland is the more “basic” fighter, with only a jab and a cross in his arsenal. In contrast, “Borrachinha” vows to finish him off with a variety of lethal weapons on Saturday night.
“he [a] A basic fighter. He [a] “He’s a very fundamental fighter,” Costa said. “I think he just jabs, jabs, crosses, and I don’t feel anything else. I have the skills, I have the weapons. [in] It’s a toolbox that I’m going to show you on Saturday. This fight can end in any number of ways. A spinning back heel kick, a front head kick, a spinning back in the stomach, a left hand, a hook. The finish can also be on the ground. So I [a] Basic fighter… [I’ve] I’ve worked on my handwork, my kicks, my takedowns, my ground-and-pound, so this fight can end in any way.”
