by MARCELO ALONSO
Photo Credit: Getty/UFC
In a stunning turn of events, Brazilian fighters and analysts pick against one of their countrymen in an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.
Among one of the more popular MMA fighters in Brazil, Paulo Costa (14-3) has the eyes of Brazilian faithful focused on his Octagon return on Saturday. In the co-main event of UFC 302, “Borrachinha” faces former champion Sean Strickland (28-6) in a major five-round middleweight matchup. With three losses in his last four outings, the former title challenger is coming in as the betting underdog. Sherdog reached out to six Brazilian coaches, competitors and analysts, who weighed in on the pivotal 185-pound contest.
Vinicio Antony, former head coach of Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida: “Strickland is such an animal. A long time ago, we paid him to help Lyoto in a camp, I think it was for the fight against Rockhold, and he really impressed me. Not only for his aggressive game but also for his wrestling. He took Lyoto down a couple of times. ‘Borrachinha’ must control the distance against him and use the kicks to keep the fight between middle and long range. If he accepts the brawl in the short distance, Strickland will have [an] advantage. When Costa went to help Belfort on his camp, I got really impressed with his ground game. This fight has [the makings of] a five-round striking war, but I would love to see these two testing their ground skills against each other.”
Caio Borralho, UFC fighter: “First of all, I have to congratulate his wife Tamara for her excellent job as [Costa’s] manager. Because concerning the ranking and the sequence of fights of both, that fight doesn’t make any sense. I trained with both. In 2021, I was [the] Future FC champion, and Tamara sent me an email to help his first camp with [Robert] Whittaker. I stayed 10 days, sparring with Paulo, and it was pure madness. He trains hard. We finished five rounds of sparring, and later, he goes to eight rounds of punching bag training. I also got surprised about how much he dedicated to physiotherapy, stretching and warming up. I learned a lot in those 10 days with him.
“‘Borrachinha’ is definitely a war tank who trains really hard. With Strickland, I trained much more, once I went to Xtreme Couture many times. I did, easily, more than 20 rounds with him. Strickland also surprised me a lot in the sparring sessions. He has a unique style of fighting and also has a very high level of wrestling that he didn’t show yet. I see ‘Borracha’s’ strongest point as kicks to the head with both legs and also kicking to the arm. To win, he must control distance and use kicks and avoid the boxing game with Strickland. I see Strickland’s big advantage as the pressure, he has better boxing. Also, I think he will have a gas advantage, once this will be a five-round fight. I see Strickland winning that one.”
Renato Carneiro, UFC fighter: “Sean Strickland has an advantage on his pressure game and also on the gas. He grows after three rounds. ‘Borrachinha’ is very aggressive too, but this fight will be disputed [over] five rounds. I see Strickland winning.”
Mauricio Ruffy, UFC fighter: “I don’t think Costa has a good boxing skill. He takes a long [time] to reload his blows and gives time to the opponent to close the guard, while Strickland’s jabs come fast. Once I saw Strickland sparring with Borralho, and I got really impressed. Everything this guy does is planned. He has such an ugly game to watch, but it’s really efficient. I see him as my favorite Saturday.”
Joilton Lutterbach, UFC fighter: “I see ‘Borrachinha’ winning by points. I would see more danger to him against [Khamzat] Chimaev. Strickland is a brawler. I see ‘Borrachinha’ more resistant winning that one.”
Carlos Barreto, UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator: “Strickland is coming in an excellent moment. After taking the invincibility of a dominant champion like [Israel] Adesanya, he lost in a split decision to the new champion [Dricus] Du Plessis. I would like to see Paulo using all the tools he has and [has not] not shown in [the] UFC yet. Everybody who trains with him says he has an excellent ground game. It’s time to use it.
When he gets the opponent on the fence, he is lethal, but when he is in the middle of the cage, he is using only isolated blows, like he did [against] Whittaker. Sean is also a master on [cornering his opponent]. He is very resistant and has a reasonable advantage in the range, using better combinations. If ‘Borrachinha’ changes his game and brings new tools, he has chances to surprise Strickland, but concerning the last fights of both, I agree with the odds. Strickland is the favorite.”
