UFC 298: Paulo Costa will be swinging for a knockout win over Rob Whittaker

Rob Whittaker’s UFC 298 opponent is not short on confidence with Paulo Costa declaring the fight will be over within two rounds.

Paulo Costa says Rob Whittaker has lost the drive that pushed him towards the middleweight world title, and promises to knock the Aussie fan favourite out inside two rounds at UFC 298 this weekend.

It’s a big call from the veteran fighter who hasn’t stepped into the Octagon in 18 months due to a string of injuries, surgeries and contract disputes with the UFC.

In fact, Costa’s most recent fight wasn’t even inside the Octagon.

It was in the stands at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in October.

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That was the night, in the hours before Alex Volkanovski fought Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, a very brave – or very stupid – fan thought it was a good idea to start sledging and heckling the sixth ranked middleweight in the UFC.

Eventually, ‘Borrachinha’, snapped.

“Somebody jumped me,” Costa told this masthead of the wild incident. “I saw the guy pulling the fingers at me, so I tried to stop and talk to him.

“He refused to come to talk, so I grabbed him and it started a big mess. I don’t know the guy, but it happened like that.”

Don’t mess with me lil chenchen I send you back home with smack straight in ur big forehead 😂😂 my right arm is working already 🔥🧃🤜🔪 pic.twitter.com/3mN1ATrWsw

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 21, 2023

The reckless fan was punted from the arena, missing the rest of the action, while Costa – who was injured at the time – looked like he was itching to get back in the cage.

He’ll finally get the chance to re-enter the Octagon this weekend, and has grand plans once he finally goes toe-to-toe with Whittaker.

Especially considering Whittaker is promising to bring back “the animal” that he felt he’d lost in the build up to his loss to Dricus du Plessis last July.

Costa looking fresh after his scuffle with a fan in the stands at UFC 294. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Costa, though, thinks that’s all talk.

“I don’t trust him, I don’t believe him,” he says. “Maybe he wants to bring back the desire, put it back in his mind like a young lion.

“It’s not true. He’s trying his best, I just hope he brings the best version of himself.

“But it’s not his style, he’s more of a counter fighter. Especially when he says that about fighting against a guy like me, who can really knock him out if he engages in the fight.”

Whittaker is looking to bounce back from his loss to Dricus du Plessis last year. Picture: Getty Images

Which is exactly what Costa is predicting.

“This fight won’t last too long,” he said. “I’ll finish it between the first and second round – with a knockout, probably.

“That’s what people want to see, they want to see bodies on the ground, it’s more exciting.”

After that, Costa is adamant he’ll move on to another middleweight title fight - his second after a one-sided defeat to Israel Adesanya in 2020.

Costa’s most recent fight was a 2022 win over Luke Rockhold. Picture: Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

And with a raft of young fighters emerging, and a few moving stars up from welterweight, it might just be his last chance to fight for it.

“After my fight with Whittaker, there’s no other way than going straight for the belt after beating him,” he said. “It’s a tough division – maybe one of the hardest – and you have many gifted prospects fighting at the top.

“It’s a refresh for the entire division, and I don’t believe (current champion du Plessis) will hold the belt for that long.

“But after I beat Whittaker, I have no other way to go. If you look at the whole division, there’s a popular guy who people like to see, and that’s me.”

Originally published as UFC 298: Paulo Costa will be swinging for a knockout win over Rob Whittaker