Robert Whittaker wants a title eliminator booking after defeating a version of Paulo Costa that he believe would have beaten a lot of elite middleweights.
Costa hadn’t fought since August 2022 going into his UFC 298 booking against Whittaker last month. In his most recent appearance, “Borrachinha” had bounced back from a two-fight skid with a bizarre decision win over Luke Rockhold, who returned to action after a three-year hiatus. While there was a lot of speculation about how Costa would fare against Whittaker, the former champ was preparing for the best version of his opponent to show up.