Robert Whittaker (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) has made his intentions clear to hurt Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 298 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California on February 17.
It has been noted that Costa has had five fights canceled or rebooked in the past couple of years including fights against Whittaker at UFC 284. The fight was called off as Costa failed to come to terms on a new deal. He hasn’t competed inside the octagon since defeating Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night battle at UFC 278 in August 2022.
‘The Eraser’ was booked to face Khamzat Chimaev last year in October at UFC 294 but a severe case of staph infection in his elbow forced him out of the bout.
Robert Whittaker endured an upset defeat in his last fight and it “put the animal” back in him. South African underdog Dricus Du Plessis handed Whittaker a TKO loss in the second round of his last fight in July. The No.3 ranked middleweight contender is brimming with confidence as seen during a recent UFC 298 press conference held in Sydney, Australia.
Robert Whittaker ‘in it to hurt’ Costa
Robert Whittaker issued a warning to Brazilian challenger Costa. The shocking loss led to him changing his strategy and he is on the quest to claim the Middleweight title.
“I’m not just in this fight to win, I’m in it to hurt Costa,” the New Zealand-born Australian said. “I’ve been really focusing trying to bring the animal back. I’m coming into this fight hungrier than ever.”
“The overreaching career objective is obviously to get my belt back,” Whittaker said. “That’s the plan for my career, to win these fights … become champ and then play with the kids.”
Whittaker and Costa will battle on the undercard of Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against Ilia Topuria, who will put his undefeated record on the line.
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