Dana White’s Holdup for UFC 298 Exposed by Paulo Costa as He Addresses Robert Whittaker Fight Rumors

Is there any possibility of witnessing a Paulo Costa matchup anytime soon? The fighter has been absent from the octagon since 2022. Originally set to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, Costa withdrew due to elbow surgery and a staph infection. Since then, he has openly challenged both Chimaev and Robert Whittaker. Nevertheless, Costa and Whittaker are scheduled for a fight in February, but the story has a twist.

Costa is entertaining to watch in the ring. Regardless, he’s gained a reputation for avoiding several matchups. Up to this point, he has backed out of five fights, citing various reasons. Additionally, his bout with Whittaker remains uncertain as the fighter has yet to sign the contract for the match, casting a shadow over the potential showdown. Let us get into this.

Is Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker a reality or a facade?

Paulo Costa has a bad reputation when it comes to maintaining consistency. Borrachinha’s last fight was against Luke Rockhold and that too in August 2022, and since then he has not delivered any fights. This has put Dana White as well as the UFC admin in a tough position because Costa’s trustworthiness has decreased tremendously after he ducked Khamzat Chimaev.

Nonetheless, Costa and Robert Whittaker are slated to face each other in February. The latest reports suggest that the fighters have yet to receive any contract from the UFC. While speaking with Ariel Helwani, Costa noted, “I’ll tell you; I didn’t sign yet. They didn’t send (a contract). I’m waiting for the e-mail; I don’t know what happened. They said Anaheim, I’m okay with Anaheim, I like the California people, I spent a couple of months there last year in my coach’s house. The only problem with Anaheim is the tax, like all of California.”

Costa’s statement was like a Dodge Charger hitting the fans in full force. The Brazilian’s statement again gave prominence to the behind-the-scenes drama of the fight. And, in his latest escapade, Costa took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to claim that the fight would go on and he was waiting for the email from the UFC.

Costa’s confirmati͏on of the UFC 298 bout against Robert Whittaker is exciting news, as this middleweight clash holds significant importance in the division. It must be noted that Whittaker is not the only fighter who ͏was chal͏lenged by Costa. The Brazilian sensation has been issuing challenges to the Emriti fighter, Khamzat Chimaev as well.

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Costa still wants to lock horns against Khamzat Chimaev

The original bad-blood rivalry was between Chimaev and Costa. These fighters were supposed to fight at UFC 294, but as mentioned above, Costa had to withdraw from his fight and Kamaru Usman had to step up to face the undefeated fighter. Their bad blood is not something new and it dates back to UFC 279. In a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Costa emphasized that he would love to face Chimaev.

“I was trying to fight Gourmet Chen Chen — Chimaev. I was not convinced he’s the guy, the No. 1 contender. So I keep trying that fight, pushing for that fight. ‘OK guys, let’s make this fight happen,’ and what Hunter and the UFC guys said he’s not going to fight until June or July or something like that,” said Costa on The MMA Hour.

Paulo Costa might be looking at a fight against Chimaev after locking horns against Whittaker. Their clash might happen around UFC 300 in a perfect world but who knows?

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