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[Music] the UFC 302 Kain [Music] event we’ll see The Return of former middleweight champion Shan Strickland The Incredible Journey of the Brash and outspoken Las Vegas local stems from a troubled upbringing but the discovery of mixed martial arts provided both a path and purpose bringing a level of stability to a once turbulent life fighting was something I needed in my life when I was younger I was 15 years old just up dropped out of high school it truly helped me Strickland oh it’s in Alex Garcia is down Sean Strickland with a massive KO my seventh grade teacher told me Sean they build prisons for guys like you that’s plan in my head I was like Sean you need to win this fight prove everyone wrong everything I did required rules and conforming and I just you know being white trash oh he’s done MMA was the only thing that I could do that didn’t have any rules I just show up train and fight come on Jack come on Jack it was a little sense of Freedom two all that wobble Al Strickland trying to end it and he does just love being a UFC fighter it doesn’t matter who it is as long as I’m in that octagon man I’m happy in one of the sports great Cinderella stories Strickland’s once Reckless and chaotic approach was refined by extreme Couture frontman Eric Nixie clean round B strong clean round big right from striplins stay on stay on the duo share tenacity to face all challenges Sean stricklands by knockout round two I them for a title shot against middleweight great it’s real out the sun don’t want the title the moment has arrived tonight Sean Strickland will try to take isra ladanna to a place he doesn’t want to go and leave with one of the biggest upsets in the sports history no one in the world believe we can do it you know there was a moment in the training room I looked Sean right in his face I’m like listen bro it doesn’t matter what the odds are doesn’t matter what anybody thinks at this point the only people that matter are the people in this room right here we all believe in you we all believe you can win this fight and he looks up at me I just remember him just like snapping out of it and he goes to the death coach Israel LNA Theus 675 betting favorite at close jeez the data we were collecting on Izzy was to put him on the barricade put him on the back and right away we worked on how Izzy will fade and check hook and he’ll open his chest up and that’s a lot of his movement that’ll be the indicator will be this when Sean saw him open that right hand beat him down the middle and that’s what ended up sitting him down he shoot my goodness for Sean Strickland ohna back to his [Music] feet C out a major moment early for the underdog right then and there I remember going in the corner and looking at him I said he ain’t no Boogeyman now is he Sean said nope so that just set the tone for the rest of the night all the bad things that he has had to deal with over the course of his life prepared him for this we feel the emotion of an underdog look at me do the co that’s what we do you can go 5 minutes with this guy you’re world champion let’s go someone who has counted out someone who had no chance in this fight to go out there and fight like he did it moves us all oh my goodness Sean Strickland has produced one of the biggest upsets in UFC championship history God it was a mountain that he was not supposed to climb Sean Strickland just came to Australia in one I cannot believe it Am I Dreaming am I going to wake up somebody hit me oh my God you guys your home life how you’re living your life matters way more than any title you guys and I’m living better for you guys through you guys thank you with his career and following at an all-time high Strickland’s propensity to stay active saw him immediately switch Focus to his first title defense to the death accepting The Challenge from streaking South African Powerhouse draus dup draus will try to overwhelm you with activity draus is constantly just putting something out there there it is draus with a blitz he’s getting closer and closer that jab is just peering draus and Sean strick is trying to give it to him right now well the forecast was for a war and that is what they got baby and still and I wanted the Striking I wanted the damage look at the guy’s face up at a cut look at his face look like got hit by a truck just so for the record is there some people that think I lost the fight I thought Sean won the fight live I Had It uh two to2 going into the last round and I thought uh Strickland won the last round uh D not say it well Bo but when it comes to close decisions like that I’m not going to sit here and cry about it man we got to move on we got to go on to the next fight that’s what our focus is [Music] on looking to disrupt Strickland’s title Ambitions is Brazilian Juggernaut Paulo Costa his lofty UFC Championship aspirations spawned over a decade ago and the Octagon descended on his hometown in 2012 havec come to my city Bel and I take the opportunity to watch live these guys are legends nice inside low kick oh he heard a bad oh my goodness after event finished everybody leave we still there I just look for the cage just thinking I will be there then I fought in Brazilian event and I become a middle champion and I defend my belt and then UFC picked me up the [Applause] eras he is the most terrifying Contender ever I’m a vis Fighter the fight can finish at any time oh he is kidding here with BS sou Americans are great Fighters and we want to show how tough we are all’s in trouble Co is teing off on my ultimate goal is put my name on the history of the UFC that’s what I promise oh big head shot I will entertain everyone I want my chance to prove I am their champion [Applause] a blistering five-fight win streak saw Costa rise to a title shot in 2020 knock although unsuccessful in his first attempt at UFC gold a string of impressive performances against the division’s upper echelon this kept him in contention oh beautiful spinning attack from Costa with another former champion in his sights Costa looks to insert his name into the title pitch once more I always change for the title that’s why I want to fight Shane Strickland I know one more Victory I will be there this is a goal I must [Music] [Music] get ahead of his UFC 302 fight with Paulo Costa former middleweight champion Shan Strickland once again prepares at extreme Coture with the team that took him all the way to the title in 2023 from the very beginning the hard-edged culture of the renowned Las Vegas [Music] gym perfectly aligned with Strickland’s fighting ethos I really need to clean my laot for you guys get a little up in here and allowed his ability and character to flourish the older days here to shrink vour were chaos as you can guess Sean would have fit in very well every practice was a fight I think sea had that same sort of attitude that preceded him with the guys that were in here before switch new goty top so kind of keep that tradition alive I’ve seen Shawn evolve as a fighter particularly in trusting us as coaches and the team work TI Go keep going in the beginning he had this mentality of that he had to do it all by himself minute one minute go on top but once he began to trust the guys around him I think he was really open to allow us in switch I think that really helped develop him better as a fighter once he kind of felt like we weren’t going to abandon him that he felt like he had a home then you started seeing his leadership come out next time go take his spot you put your legs he then he started like helping the team more and helping the training Partners more prior to that it was just always about himself and I think now you could call him one of the best teammates in the room all right 50 seconds we’re spawn about 70% as a fighter when you step on the mat every moment you are trying to accomplish something for your future warm up the joints warm up the elbows I always tell guys if you come Spar and maybe you take a round off or you don’t give it your all you’re not let letting yourself down that’s open you’re letting your wife down letting your girlfriend down letting your kid down you are only letting yourself down when you come to our practice and you don’t train like a man and let’s go I demand so much from my training partners that our group now understands that nice good CLE through your left back to the center fighter respect because I do what I say yes 1 three I’m telling you to land if I tell you to walk through fire I’ll walk with you woo that was good if I tell you to break your arm to win well guess what I’ll break my arm to win nice I love my team so much my team is like my family just call it up Danny go three 1 2 3 with an earshot of extreme [Music] cure holoc Costa Rees himself for UFC 302 at the UFC performance Institute enlisting the help of two former Olympic boxers to help the Brazilian prepare for Strickland striking heavy style I meet gon pin in ufcpi I was killing myself in the train and he taught me how to be more efficient let me B is a boxing coach as well same line age than Kels he was olymp as well so we are just trying to mix the styles to get the best point of each [Music] one foree [Music] [Music] [Music] knows how to fight that style he has very good jaob he moved forward he knows how to fight on his very particular stance he knows how to fight very well to have a great boxing coach with my side we help a lot especially with him because he’s basically a boxing fight in fight MMA so we have a good strategy to beat him hey you guys on the clock hey you guys are on the clock let’s go you ready for five rounds Harley je Co is a great opponent be a dangerous man step step there you go be honest strike for strike power for power they actually kind of the same one two I think Sean just has that little bit more of grit in him one one two one two liver he has a great MMA IQ he’s been doing this since he was 17 whatever you want so I think he knows how to make those little adaptations in the moment bam there you go and he really knows how to push oh yes love it when to let off the gas oh when to put into sixth gear it is Sean Strickland’s world we are just living at it the guy has amazing boxing got unbelievable cardio UFC 302 man it’s going to be a blood bath the he is a born fighter I think that me and CA were going to go in the deep water and almost feels like Sean is playing with those food a little bit it’s going to be a 25 minute War big right from Strickland I think we’re both going to be looking at each other in that third fourth round thinking we got one more round round sh apply a world of pressure but mentally as always I’m ready to die for what I want and I think I’m going to pick him apart one of the scariest guys to ever compete in the middleweight division this is a knockout artist who throws bombs I wanted to fight him specifically because he’s a great fighter great match and he’s number one a Relentless Destroyer this man is a physical specimen this fight can lead me to the tie again this guy’s Hell on Wheels I’m more experienced now and reach the place that I wish before as a man as a athlete oh beautiful spinning attack this is the time this is it atfc 302 I will beat Shan by knockout it’s a battle for title contention between two middleweight main states setting the stage for an epic Main Event between two of the greatest lightweights of all time Dustin porier is a certified UFC Legend and still Islam masv is the man it all goes down in Newark New Jersey on June 1st at UFC 302 big fight atmosphere in The Brick City if you want to be great you have to take on greatness