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Kelvin Gastelum replaces Paulo Costa, meets Robert Whittaker in April 17 UFC headliner

Ask and you shall receive.

Kelvin Gastelum will step in as a replacement in the main event of UFC’s April 17 Fight Night card Robert Whittaker following Paulo Costa’s withdrawal, multiple people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Fighting following a report from ESPN. The card is expected to take place at Las Vegas' UFC APEX.

Costa withdrew from the five-round main event on Monday amid a ongoing fight with a severe flu weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.

Whittaker and Gastelum were paired up against each other for the UFC championship in 2019, but “The Reaper,” a middleweight king at the time, was pulled from UFC 234 due to health issues.