The former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, watched the UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” pay-per-view event from home. He focused on the five-round middleweight co-main event between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
Adesanya observed that Costa struggled when fighting defensively but acknowledged his improvement in this fight. He noticed that Costa had chances to exploit Strickland’s weaknesses but understood the challenges of doing so.
Despite a controversial decision, Strickland won a lackluster victory over Costa. Adesanya mentioned that he anticipated Strickland to gradually wear down his opponent and eventually dominate with relentless pressure.
Having beaten Costa before and lost to Strickland, Adesanya is set to fight current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis later this year. Strickland or the victor of the Strickland-Costa match might be his next challenger.
For more details on UFC 302 results and aftermath, check the official UFC website.
