New Zealand-Australian former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker came out victorious against Paulo Costa of Brazil at UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria. The pair squared off in the co-main event live on pay-per-view from Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday, February 17.
No. 3-ranked contender Whittaker defeated No. 6 Costa by unanimous decision. After three rounds of fast paced action, the scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
“This is the exact fight I prepared for,” Whittaker said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “This was the fight that I wanted. I told you, I would take the fight to him. I looked for his scull the whole 15 minutes, but he is a tough dude.”
When asked about the head kick he had missed at the end of the first round, Whittaker said: “Nothing but a flesh wound. It wasn’t fun, but it was his best shot all night for sure.”
With the victory, Robert Whittaker improved to 25-7 and returned to winning ways. In his previous outing last July at UFC 290, the Sydney-based 33-year-old was stopped by Dricus du Plessis in the second round.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to come here and perform, especially after my last fight, and I did exactly that. I’m looking to make amends with Dricus, and I’m not going anywhere, baby, I’m back.”
32-year-old Paulo Costa of Belo Horizonte, Brazil dropped to 14-3.
Get UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria full card results.