Sean O’Malley has showered high praise on Sean Strickland following his impressive victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.
In the middleweight co-main event at UFC 302, ‘Tarzan’ secured a decisive victory over Costa, showcasing his striking prowess through relentless high volume and constant pressure. The American’s gameplan effectively kept the hard-hitting Brazilian on the backfoot throughout the fight.
Sean is shifting his focus towards patiently awaiting another chance at a title shot against reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis, who beat Strickland by a closely contested decision to win the belt at UFC 297.
In a recent episode of the ‘Timbo-Sugar Show’, bantamweight champion O’Malley praised Strickland for his ‘sweet’ fighting style.
“His style is so sweet. He’s primarily orthodox but he’ll march at you checking kicks into southpaw, throwing teeps from both stances,” Sean O’Malley said. “His eyes are so good, he’s hard to hit on his chin, unless you’re Alex Pereira he hit him on his chin, but yeah that would be a nightmare fight. You could tell at the end of like going to the end of the first round you’re like, this isn’t good. This is not looking good for Costa.”
While Strickland is in a good spot in the middleweight division, Costa is in a bit of a pickle.
Following his most recent loss, ‘Borrachinha’ has now accumulated four losses in his last five Octagon appearances. During this period, he suffered defeats against Strickland, Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, and Israel Adesanya. His only victory in this timeframe was against Luke Rockhold.
Who should Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland fight next?
