Sean Strickland unsure Paulo Costa actually wanted to fight him at UFC 302: “I think Costa maybe just wanted to be friends”

Sean Strickland admits his UFC 302 bout with Paulo Costa was a “weird” one.

Strickland and Costa shared the Octagon inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this past Saturday night. Strickland was able to keep Costa backpedaling throughout the fight thanks to his pressure and boxing. Costa had a difficult time fighting off his back foot, and ultimately lost a split decision, with judge Dave Tirelli’s score total in favor of “Borrachinha” being widely panned.

It wasn’t the most entertaining bout, and Strickland questions if Costa truly wanted to fight on the night.

RELATED: ISRAEL ADESANYA REACTS TO SEAN STRICKLAND’S SPLIT DECISION WIN OVER PAULO COSTA AT UFC 302: “COSTA SUCKS OFF THE BACK FOOT”

Sean Strickland Says Paulo Costa to Blame for “Weird” Fight

Speaking to reporters during the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, Sean Strickland said there were moments in his fight with Paulo Costa where he felt his opponent didn’t want to be there (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“It was just a weird f*cking fight, man. I don’t know what was going on with Costa. I think Costa maybe just wanted to be friends. I don’t know.

“… You can never tell how good somebody is until they fight somebody good. I think there was that moment where every time Costa was like, ‘I’m going to fight this man,’ he gets stuck in that phase like, ‘I don’t think I want to fight this man today.’ So I think a lot of it just is you never know how good somebody is until they fight somebody good, and that’s what you saw there.”

Strickland hopes to get a chance to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion for his next bout inside the Octagon. He lost the 185-pound gold in a close fight with Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year. That was a real split decision verdict, and Strickland has been calling for a rematch with “Stillknocks” ever since.