Finally expected to make his long-anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 298 in March, former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker is hotly-closing as a short betting favorite to beat former title challenger, Paulo Costa in their grudge fight.
Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder, and current number three ranked divisional contender, has been sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 290 back in July of last year during International Fight Week, suffering a shocking second round TKO loss to incoming UFC 297 headliner, Dricus du Plessis.
As for Belo Horizonte native, Costa, the former title chaser and current number six ranked challenger, has yet to feature in the Octagon since 2022, most recently beating former undisputed middleweight kingpin, Luke Rockhold in a unanimous decision effort, snapping his two-fight losing skid.