Sean Strickland makes plans clear following UFC 302 win over Paulo Costa: “Time to sit and wait for a title shot”

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland plans to sit out following his win over Paulo Costa.

‘Tarzan’ returned to the cage over the weekend in the co-main event of UFC 302. Back for the first time since a split-decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in January, Sean Strickland faced Paulo Costa. For his part, ‘The Eraser’ hadn’t competed since a unanimous decision defeat to Robert Whittaker in February.

Prior to his UFC 302 return, Sean Strickland planned to sit out, and wait for a rematch with ‘Stillknocks’. However, after conversations with top company brass, and Israel Adesanya receiving a title shot, he decided to return. For five rounds, Strickland largely outstruck the Brazilian en route to a split-decision victory.

In his post-fight interview, Sean Strickland called to be the next man to fight for UFC middleweight gold. It seems that the former champion is willing to stick to his word and sit out for as long as it takes. Taking to X earlier this week, Strickland stated exactly that.

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Time to sit and wait for a title shot……….

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 3, 2024

Sean Strickland confirms plans to sit out following UFC 302 win over Paulo Costa

While Sean Strickland is waiting to sit out for a UFC title shot, he might be out of action for quite some time. As of now, the middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis remains unbooked. However, the South African has been linked to a long-awaited showdown with ‘The Last Stylebender’ in September.

Furthermore, there are other upcoming middleweight bouts that could produce a title challenger as well. This Saturday in Louisville, top-ranked contenders Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov will face off for five rounds. ‘Killa Gorilla’ previously handed Sean Strickland a split-decision loss in December 2022.

There’s also the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev bout, slated for later this month in Saudi Arabia. Still, it seems that Sean Strickland is confident that he will be the next man to fight for UFC middleweight gold. Given his prior victory over Adesanya and his close bout with Du Plessis, he could very well be correct.

What do you make of these comments from the former UFC middleweight champion? Do you believe Sean Strickland should get a title shot in his return?