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Veteran MMA Official Raises Concern on Controversial Moment During Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 298

Published 02/19/2024, 11:20 AM EST

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The much-awaited UFC 298 is finally over, and the fans witnessed some of the best fights on the night. The main event saw Ilia Topuria taking on Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. While the Australian’s dethroning gathered all the attention, the co-main event also lived up to its expectations.

The co-main event featured Robert Whittaker taking on Paulo Costa in the middleweight bout with possible title implications. Whittaker won the fight via decision, shaking off the shock defeat he suffered last year at the hands of Dricus Du Plessis. Meanwhile, ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh’ The Punk’ Thomson discussed the fight at length in a recent YouTube video. Let us delve into the details to find out whether they agreed to the decision.

John McCarthy seemed shocked at the first-round scores

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The much-awaited clash between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa had all the makings of a good fight. Whittaker started the fight on a positive note and looked to dominate the battle from the beginning. However, Costa lived up to his expectations and counter-attacked the former champion with consistent jabs.

The turning point of the fight came in the final stages of the first round when Costa landed a spinning wheel kick on ‘The Reaper’ effectively rocking him. Whittaker somehow survived the kick and managed to stay in the fight, thanks to the clock running out on Costa. And for this reason, McCarthy could not believe one judge gave the round to Whittaker, with a 30-27 scorecard.

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Big John McCarthy, while speaking to Josh ‘ The Punk’ Thomson in his podcast ‘Weighing In,’ questioned the decision. He said: “Costa, you know the jabs they were landing, and he looked good. He was just getting out volumed by Whittaker. But the spinning wheel kick, holy s..t . I can’t believe that Robert Whittaker was able to stay on his feet with that because it landed clean. It hurt him bad.”

He continued,You know, luckily there wasn’t much time left in the round for him, so he ended up making it through the round. Being able to go back to his corner, but that was the difference maker in that round. That shot came close to ending the fight, you could say. Paulo Costa should have won that round. I know a judge had it at 30-27. I don’t know how. “

Watch this story: Every WWE Superstar Who Attacked Vince McMahon

Whittaker not only won the round but also won the fight. With this win, the 33-year-old is back to winning and inching closer to the title again. The former middleweight champion gathered a lot of praise after his performance at the UFC 298, especially from the heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

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Jon Jones sends out a message for Robert Whittaker after his win

Before his clash at UFC 298, Robert Whittaker faced one of the most devastating losses of his career. The 33-year-old faced the current champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 and lost the fight via knockout. However, the former champion put aside his loss and was back to winning ways against the Brazilian. Whittaker looked at his best in the night and seemed to be a man on a mission. After his win, the current heavyweight champion Jon Jones took to his X account (formerly Twitter) and congratulated him on his win in his own style.

Jones wrote: “Congrats! Ya siiiiiickkkkk c*unt.” Whittaker’s main rival, Israel Adesanya, also took the time to congratulate him on his win. ‘The Last Stylebender’ wrote: “Hear me out…Post fight ice baths. Right after doctors check up.” Whittaker’s win against Costa has put him back in contention and he will now be focused on the title. However, it will be interesting to see who he faces next.

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With Dricus Du Plessis currently holding the title, will he face him next for the belt? Or will he take on ‘The Last Stylebender’ on his return? Perhaps even a dance with former champion Sean Strickland? Let us know in the comments below.

Read More: Every WWE Star Who Made an Appearance at UFC 298

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Written by:

Anirban Chatterjee

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Anirban Chatterjee is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. Anirban holds an MBA in Sports Management and is an athlete himself. After stints in notable organizations as a professional writer, Anirban pivoted to covering UFC, ONE Championship, and other premiere MMA promoters.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen