Paulo Costa felt like he did enough to come out on top against Robert Whittaker.
‘The Eraser’ returned to the Octagon for the first time since a bizarrely entertaining scrap with former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold back in August 2022. Stepping into the UFC 298 co-main event, Costa had an opportunity to leap right back into title contention against division staple and former 185-pound king Robert Whittaker.
After 15 entertaining minutes of action that saw both men bloodied and battered, Whittaker’s hand was raised with all three judges declaring him the winner unanimously.
Going to the scorecards, Costa felt he had done enough to leave Anaheim with the win. Instead, he fell to 1-3 in his last four outings. Taking to Instagram following the fight, the secret juice-chugging Brazilian vowed to bring more pressure to his opponents and avoid leaving it in the hands of the judges going forward.
“Good to be back in the octagon!” Costa wrote in Portuguese. “It feels good to feel this wonderful energy from all of you cheering me on! Glad I delivered the show you guys wanted! During the fight I felt like I was winning but the judges disagreed and they didn’t see that, anyway I will have to impose myself more in the sense of not leaving the judges’ decision the next ones. Thank you very much! I’m sorry.”
What’s Next For Robert Whittaker Following Win Over Paulo Costa?
As for Costa’s opponent, Robert Whittaker bounced back following a brutal second-round knockout loss to current middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis over the summer. ‘The Reaper’ is 3-2 in his last five, alternating wins and losses since 2021, and currently sits in the No. 3 spot in the division’s top 10.
“Options are definitely open,” Whittaker said at the post-fight press conference when asked who he would like to fight next. “The middleweight division is funny. There’s so much movement and fluidity and opportunity in it that any fight could be made at any time, anywhere. Honestly, the UFC have always done right by me. I’ve never had to pick my opponents. They’ve always been laid out in front of me. I’m not about to change the way I conduct business.”
What should be next for Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker following their intense co-headliner on Saturday night?
Watch Whittaker’s UFC 298 post-fight interview below:
Transcription by Yahoo! Sports
