Oh boy, it’s been a hot minute—about a year and a half, to be exact—since Paulo Costa threw down in the UFC octagon. But don’t think for a second that “Borrachinha” has been just chilling. Nope, not at all.
This Saturday, Costa’s stepping back into the limelight. He’s squaring off against the former middleweight king, Robert Whittaker, at UFC 298. And it’s all going down at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. This bout marks Costa’s grand return since his unanimous decision win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 back in August 2022. Life threw him a curveball, though. A mix of drawn-out talks with the UFC brass and a nasty elbow infection nixed a high-stakes clash with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 last October.
Costa was gutted, to say the least. “I tried really hard to keep the fight, but doctors don’t allow me to keep the fight,” he lamented during the UFC 298 media day. Just imagine that frustration. But, Costa’s a fighter through and through. He focused on getting back to full health, itching to jump back into action.
Here’s some good news for Costa fans: he’s feeling pretty confident about the strides he’s made in training. Especially after prepping for Chimaev. “It’s really hard because the feeling is like I did 99% of the job, and I could not finish and show everyone my improvements,” he shared. But hey, he’s promising a new and improved version of himself come Saturday. Especially in the wrestling department. Intriguing, right?
The middleweight division’s been wild lately, with the belt changing waists like it’s going out of style. Costa sees this as a testament to the division’s depth. “This is a tough division, maybe one of the hardest,” he noted. And he’s all for the challenge. It’s like a breath of fresh air for the whole division.
As for Whittaker’s recent loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290? Costa didn’t dwell on it too much. He’s just hoping to face the best version of Whittaker. “He’s a former champ,” Costa said. “I just hope his best days have not gone because I want to put his name on my record as a good name that I beat.”
And if Costa manages to take down Whittaker at UFC 298? He’s pretty sure that’ll catapult him to the top contender spot. “I don’t see [any] other way different than going straight for the belt after beating Whittaker Saturday,” he declared. In his eyes, he’s the guy everyone wants to watch. The one who brings the excitement. Beating Whittaker, in his view, lines him up next for a shot at the title.