UFC 298 has a dominant champion looking to defend his title against the surging undefeated contender in the division looking to become the first from his nation to taste UFC gold. The co-main event of the PPV is also one of the best fights in the fight card, as a former champion will look to thwart the challenge of a former title challenger to get another crack at UFC glory.
With UFC 298 just days away, fight fans are already on the edge of their seats, as all the aforementioned fighters are among the most entertaining fighters in the UFC.
Whittaker eager for long-awaited showdown with Costa
Robert Whittaker, the former UFC middleweight champion, recently spoke with Just Scrap Radio on YouTube for BJPenn.com and Whittaker means business. “Zero, zero hesitancy. I was looking for a fight, I wanted to fight sooner even, I was looking at the January or late December timeframe. They gave me Costa and I jumped at the bit”, said Whittaker of his long-awaited showdown with Paulo Costa.
“I’m excited for this fight, we have been meaning to cross paths for a while now. He’s a high-caliber guy, I like high-caliber fights so it made sense for both of us”, Whittaker further added the numerous times the duo has been scheduled to fight only for Costa to pull out of the fights for a wide variety of reasons. Nonetheless, all signs point to the fight hopefully happening at UFC 298 and Whittaker is in high hopes.
Robert Whittaker’s latest appearance inside the octagon was at UFC 290 against Dricus du Plessis, who is the current UFC middleweight champion. Whittaker suffered an upset loss at UFC 290 as the heavy-beating underdog du Plessis demolished Robert Whittaker in the second round of the bout en route to a title shot and eventual title triumph at UFC 297.
Costa’s latest appearance inside the octagon dates far back to UFC 278 against Luke Rockhold in a blood-and-guts war he won via unanimous decision. He was scheduled to face off with Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, but both fights did not materialize much to the dismay of fight fans.
Addressing Costa’s antics and fight-week behavior
Paulo Costa, the former UFC middleweight title challenger, is the antithesis of his upcoming opponent, Robert Whittaker. Costa has a penchant for pulling out of fights and is very active on social media, where he is an internet troll. There were apprehensions of the fight with Costa happening mainly due to the Brazilian’s antics, but Whittaker is unbothered.
“I do feel he takes the piss a little bit, but, I don’t know. It works for him, he’s doing his thing. All I know is I trained how I always have and come Feb. 17, I’m coming for violence and I hope he is, too”, said Whittaker of where his mind is as he is planning to fight a very unpredictable Paulo Costa, the 6th ranked UFC middleweight.
Robert Whittaker is looking to HURT Paulo Costa at #UFC298 😳 pic.twitter.com/WvBADw2Z7p
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 2, 2024
If victorious against Costa, Robert Whittaker would put himself in pole position to fight for the middleweight title next, just behind Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev. With rumors of Adesanya fighting at UFC 300 against Dricus du Plessis, a number one contender fight with Khamzat Chimaev is also possible.
Do you think Robert Whittaker will become the UFC middleweight champion again? Leave your prediction below!
