Paulo Costa makes alarming revelation about newly-announced fight against Robert Whittaker

After prior cancellations, it looked like Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker was finally happening when, earlier this Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight for UFC 298. However, according to Costa's latest revelations, it might not yet be a done deal.

Around the same time as White's announcement, the Brazilian also corroborated the news, claiming he was looking forward to fighting at Anaheim. For context, The Honda Center, where the pay-per-view would be hosted, was previously known as the Anaheim Arena.

However, when a fight fan quizzed the 32-year-old whether he had actually signed the contract this time around, he wrote:

"Lol it’s funny I didn’t yet but I want this lfg."

Costa vs. Whittaker was initially announced for UFC 284, but the Brazilian repeatedly denied that he had signed the contract in the lead-up to the event. And sure enough, the fight ultimately fell apart following Costa's failed contract negotiation with the UFC.

Although it's unclear whether 'Borrachinha' has reached a new agreement with the premier MMA Promotion, his latest tweet certainly seems to hint so.

Paulo Costa is 14-2 in MMA and is a former middleweight title challenger. He is 3-2 in his last five and holds wins against divisional greats, including Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold, and Johnny Hendricks.

Robert Whittaker is also 3-2 in his last five. However, in his latest octagon outing, he suffered a second-round knockout against Dricus Du Plessis. The former champion is 24-7 in MMA and holds wins over many elite fighters including Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Marvin Vettori.

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When Paulo Costa blasted the UFC for underpaying him

The fight against Robert Whittaker was far from the only time Paulo Costa has had pay issues with the UFC.

At UFC on ESPN 28, 'Borrachinha' was scheduled to headline the card against Jared Cannonier. However, before the actual fight, the Brazilian withdrew from the event. In a social media post following the withdrawal, he called out the UFC for underpaying him. Costa tweeted in June 2021:

"UFC needs to pay me as main fighter to have fighting in main events. Youtubers are showing all disgrace on this business."

Later in the same thread, he blasted the premier MMA promotion for announcing the fight he hadn't actually signed for.