The Final Preventing Championship returns to us tonight, June 1, 2024, for UFC 302, happening reside from the Prudential Middle in Newark, New Jersey.
Headlining the occasion is a light-weight championship affair showcasing no. 1 pound-for-pound ranked Islam Makhachev (25-1), who makes an attempt to make the third protection of his title tonight opposing no. 4 ranked former interim champion Dustin Poirier (30-8) in the principle occasion of the night.
Co-headlining the occasion is a 5 spherical middleweight conflict between no. 1 ranked former champion Sean Strickland (29-6) and no. 7 ranked former title challenger Paulo Costa (14-4).
Strickland was coming into his first combat since dropping the belt to Dricus du Plessis in January, a combat many believed he gained, whereas Costa misplaced to former champion Robert Whittaker one month later at UFC 298 in a very epic three spherical battle in his newest look.
Proceed studying to see how this middleweight encounter went down:
Official Outcome: Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa by way of cut up resolution (46-49, 50-45, 49-46)
Costa landed three heavy calf kicks within the first 30 seconds of the bout, reddening the lead leg of Strickland badly. Strickland switched his stance and commenced to stroll Costa down, feinting and touchdown plenty of entrance kicks up the center all through the rest of the opening spherical.
Costa landed just a few extra exhausting kicks to the lead leg of Strickland early within the second, although Strickland continued strolling him down, finally dropping him momentarily with a one-two. Strickland continued to stroll Costa down and out-strike him by means of the rest of spherical two.
Strickland had a terrific spherical three, badly hurting Costa’s proper shin after checking a leg kick and getting some combos going because the spherical went on.
After a detailed spherical 4 Costa had a superb fifth up till the top, this being the one spherical he out-struck Strickland, although Strickland got here in with a flurry of strikes and dropped him within the closing seconds of the combat.
After shedding his title in a razor-thin cut up resolution, his newest defeat prior additionally coming by way of closely disputed 5 spherical cut up resolution, it for a second there appeared like that was about to occur to Strickland as soon as once more. And after an evening with scorecards like tonight, we sort of had a sense there could be some bizarre scores after watching this one.
Nonetheless, Sean Strickland will get again to his profitable methods tonight at UFC 302.
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