Paulo Costa Outlines Changes He's 'Forcing' Himself To Make After Rewatching Robert Whittaker Loss
Following confirmation of his next Octagon assignment, UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa knows the improvements he must make.
Since rising to a title shot against Israel Adesanya as an undefeated challenger back in 2020, Costa's once-promising career in the cage has been plagued by a weight setback, a contractual dispute, injuries, and frequent periods of inactivity.
"Borrachinha" is hoping to forget all of that in 2024, and he started strong this past February at UFC 298, where he did battle in one of the best fights of this year to date against former champion Robert Whittaker.
While he fell short on the scorecards, Costa's stock certainly did not drop in Anaheim, and he'll now look to go a step further by having his hand raised next time out.
The Brazilian fan favorite is set to co-headline the UFC 302 pay-per-view this coming June in Newark opposite another ex-titleholder in Strickland.
Costa Promises More Activity In Strickland Fight
Having recently watched his memorable showdown with "The Reaper" inside the Honda Center, Costa has some theories as to why the decision did not go his way on the night.
The plan is for Costa to rectify his shortcomings against Strickland, and according to "Borrachinha," that includes increased activity and less focus on solely landing big, damaging strikes.
"I just rewatched my fight w Whittaker , I needed to add a little more rhythm and strokes. Maybe that's why the judges gave it 2x1 in the rounds in his favor. scores. I prioritized the damage factor, leaving him bleeding and bloody in every round even with fewer hits. I'm going to force myself to hit more from now on and keep hurting . Mark my works, I will be a machine hitter in the nexts," Costa wrote on X/Twitter.
Costa will hope that those changes pave the way for him to add to the woes of Strickland, who had the middleweight belt ripped form his grasp by Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 this past January.
Should he accomplish that feat, "Borrachinha" would be recording just his second victory since he outpointed Yoel Romero in a 2019 barnburner. His current sole victory in the past four years came over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in 2022.
