Sean Strickland not keen on Darren Till fight, prefers Paulo Costa if he ‘can put down the wine and cookies’

Sean Strickland has a couple of options in mind for his next opponent, but Darren Till doesn’t seem to be one of them.

Recently, Till appeared on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast and expressed interest in a matchup with Strickland — potentially in a possible return to London for the UFC being rumored for March.

On Saturday, Strickland took to Twitter to announce his polarizing Instagram account has been suspended, along with a response to Till’s respectful callout and what he is seeking as alternatives.

“I’m not fighting Darren Till,” Strickland stated. “I want [Paulo] Costa and if Costa can’t put down the wine and cookies, I want Jack [Hermansson].”

Costa most recently made headlines for his inability to make the middleweight limit, forcing his decision loss to Marvin Vettori to take place in a light heavyweight bout. UFC president Dana White stated after UFC Vegas 41 that Costa will compete in the 205-pound division moving forward.

Hermansson saw Strickland’s idea for a future matchup in the middleweight division and was on the same page as his fellow 185er.

Strickland, ranked No. 9 in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, has been on a tear with five straight victories, the recent four taking place in his return to 185 pounds. The 30-year-old has had his hand raised four times since October 2020 with victories over Jack Marshman, Brendan Allen, Krzysztof Jotko and — most recently in his first main event — Uriah Hall.

The 27-fight pro was slated to meet former champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 268 earlier this month before Rockhold withdrew due to an injury.