WATCH: Sean Strickland spars former UFC champ Jamahal Hill in final UFC 302 prep

Former UFC champions Sean Strickland and Jamahal Hill are getting lots of work in ahead of their Octagon returns in June.

Strickland will face former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa in the UFC 302 co-main event this Saturday in Newark. He returns looking to get back on track after a close loss to Dricus du Plessis in his lone middleweight title defense at UFC 297 in January.

Strickland and Costa will compete in a rare, non-title pay-per-view five-rounder at UFC 302. The high stakes for both fighters and their electric fighting styles, make it an intriguing matchup for fans.

Strickland is using all of his resources in Las Vegas to plot his Octagon comeback, and Hill was a key presence in his training camp just days ahead of UFC 302. The two former titleholders sparred in the gym as Strickland made his final preparations for Costa.

Watch some footage of Strickland and Hill’s sparring session at Xtreme Couture below.

Sean Strickland and Jamahal Hill sharp iron ahead of UFC returns

Hill, meanwhile, will face Carlos Ulberg in the UFC 303 co-headliner on June 29. He was originally supposed to face Khalil Rountree Jr. before Rountree tested positive for a banned substance in a recent drug test.

Hill, like Strickland, is looking to get back on track after a title fight loss in his previous outing. He lost to UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event last month.

A win over Ulberg could be enough to get Hill another light heavyweight title shot. He’s looking to recapture the magic that earned him the then-vacant light heavyweight belt at UFC 283 last year.

Strickland and Hill are men on missions ahead of their fighting returns, especially in a pair of high-stakes clashes. They’re also both known to have wild sparring sessions, making their recent gym battle all the more eye-opening.