Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland have already begun their unique war of words on social media. In typical fashion, Strickland branded Costa a "dirty Brazilian" ahead of their UFC 302 clash. This drew a response from Costa, who, as expected, did not take anything Strickland said to heart.
With their June 1 encounter, Strickland shared a video of himself on Instagram, where he offered his thoughts on Costa. Despite praising 'Borrachinha' for supposedly sharing some of his values, he still claimed that Costa was not beloved by his own compatriots.
"You know, you guys, I like Costa. He's a funny guy, he makes me laugh, he's pro-free speech. I like that guy. But I'm going to make that dirty Brazilian bleed. And you know I'm going to do it for Brazil, because Brazil doesn't even like Costa. So, hey Brazil, this one's for you guys. Let's get it done."
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Check out Sean Strickland's Instagram clip on Paulo Costa:
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Naturally, this drew a response from Costa, who made light of Strickland's remarks on X/Twitter. Specifically, 'Borrachinha' shared a short clip of himself dancing and claiming to be Mexican.
"Hijo da p*ta, soy Mexicano (Son of a b*tch). I'm half-Mexican, what are you talking about?"
Check out Paulo Costa's response to Sean Strickland (0:29):
Both men are known for being two of the more entertaining fighters on social media, with their unhinged brand of humor and self-promotion having attracted countless fans. Despite their superficial similarities, there will be no friendship once the two men step inside the octagon.
Strickland is determined to regain the UFC middleweight title, while Costa intends to work his way back into title contention. To each other, both men are stepping stones on their respective journeys to potential championship glory.
Sean Strickland's comments on Paulo Costa echo a controversy surrounding a former UFC fighter
Sean Strickland labeling Paulo Costa a "dirty Brazilian" will likely draw little controversy, given the sheer depth of controversial statements he has made. However, his specific description of Costa is one that was used on another Brazilian fighter by former UFC fighter Tony Kelley.
"That's what they're gonna do, they're dirty f***ing Brazilians, they're going to f***ing cheat like that."
Check out Tony Kelley's comments about Brazilians:
Back in 2022, Andrea Lee faced Brazilian women's flyweight Viviane Araujo. In Lee's corner was Kelley, with whom she was in a relationship. Between rounds, a microphone picked up Kelley, calling Araujo a "dirty Brazilian" while claiming that Brazilian fighters have an inherent predisposition to cheating.
