Strickland beats Costa, rebounds from UFC title loss

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland defeated Paulo Costa via split decision (46-49, 50-45, 49-46) in the UFC 302 co-main event Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark.

Judge Dave Tirelli scored the fight 49-46 for Costa, while judges Chris Lee and Sal D'Amato had it 50-45 and 49-46 for Strickland, respectively. The split call stunned some members of the MMA community:

49-46 Costa is just incredible incompetence. #UFC302
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) June 2, 2024

I can find a reason to rationalize most scorecards submitted by the judges, but 49-46 Costa is indefensible.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 2, 2024

Dave Tirelli is the worst judge in MMA history. His 49-46 Costa and 29-28 Raposo scorecards tonight are a travesty and he should never judge a fight again.

Take a bow, sir. You win the award for worst MMA judge of all time. #UFC302
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) June 2, 2024

Strickland called his win over Costa "a boring fight," but he rebounded from a split-decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Strickland dropped the 185-pound title to Du Plessis four months after shocking Israel Adesanya to become the new champion.

Strickland picked Costa apart on the feet for all five rounds, using jabs and kicks to earn points on the scorecards. Strickland walked Costa down for most of the fight, leaving the former title challenger unable to put together much offense.

Afterward, Strickland called for a chance to regain the middleweight throne.

"I want to fight for the belt," Strickland said. "I was a company man. I fought a No. 7-ranked guy. Do it for me now. Give me that title shot."

Strickland is now 4-1 in his last five Octagon appearances after putting together a Fighter of the Year-esque campaign in 2023 with wins over Adesanya, Abus Magomedov, and Nassourdine Imavov.

Costa, one of the most popular fighters at 185 pounds, is riding a two-fight losing streak and is 1-4 in his last five.