Paulo Costa was set to take on Marvin Vettori in a middleweight bout at UFC Vegas 41. However, as Costa didn’t make the weight, the fight took place at 205 pounds. Hence, ‘Borrachinha’ received a lot of backlash from the fight fans and other UFC fighters. One of them was Costa’s fellow middleweight fighter, Robert Whittaker.
He recently appeared at the Fox Star Fight Week and lashed out at the Brazilian for his unprofessionalism. Whittaker said, “Honestly, it’s just complete bullsh*t… it was garbage. Why have contracts and rules and sign dotted lines for anything if you’re just going to go up and do whatever you want?”
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“I know amateur fighters who fight at local scenes with 100 people that watch who have more professionalism than he showed on the weekend. You could see he wasn’t going to make it, they made catch weight days prior because they knew he wasn’t going to make it. He didn’t make the catch weight, so they had to bump it up again.”
Although Costa was heavier than Vettori, the latter took the fight with no hesitation. He showed sheer dominance inside the octagon and defeated Costa. Vettori earned respect from the fighters after his amazing performance last weekend.
Whittaker also lauded him for accepting the fight against a heavier opponent. He said, “Hats of to Vettori for taking that fight like a stud, keeping the card alive. And Costa, you’re a bloody mess mate.”
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What is next for Robert Whittaker?
Robert Whittaker defended his middleweight gold strap against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243.
Unfortunately, the 30-year-old lost both his nine-fight win streak and the middleweight belt to ‘The Last Stylebender’. Despite the loss, ‘The Reaper’ stayed determined and found his way back to the win column.
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Whittaker is currently undefeated in three of his bouts after his loss in the title fight. After defeating the likes of Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Darren Till, he solidified his spot atop the middleweight rankings.
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Whittaker was scheduled to fight Adesanya for the belt at UFC 268 in November. However, the bout has been postponed and will probably take place in early 2022.
What do you guys make out of Whittaker’s words for Paulo Costa vs Marvin Vettori? Are you excited to see him fight Adesanya in a rematch? Let us know in the comments below.