Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa: Why was their fight at UFC 284 canceled?

Robert Whittaker did not end up competing in UFC 284, but what exactly happened?

The card in question was based in Perth, Australia, which left the partisan favorite off the event. This was partly why 'Bobby Knuckles' aka 'The Reaper' came out with an X video announcement to say how "very upsetting" the whole development was.

Costa had publically stated for weeks he had not actually agreed to the February 11 bout last year. The former UFC middleweight title challenger was engaged in negotiations with the UFC on terms for a possible new contractual agreement.

Costa reportedly was on the last fight of a prior deal and was looking to get something locked in for the next chapter in his career as a UFC fighter. The Brazilian bruiser decried the company's negotiation skills. He intimated that they were being petty and made fighters unhappy.

[Images Courtesy: @BorrachinhaMMA on X]

Peep the clip of Robert Whittaker confirming that UFC 284 cancellation below:

---

Robert Whittaker and UFC 284's connection to this weekend

The Costa versus Whittaker bout that did not transpire will finally be coming to fruition just over a year later.

Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will test their skills live on pay-per-view at UFC 298 tomorrow night. Their co-main event clash transpires at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Whittaker is a former UFC middleweight champion looking to embark on another path toward a title shot by besting Costa.

Whittaker is currently the number three contender in the 185-pound division right now. Meanwhile, Costa is the number six middleweight in the UFC hierarchy as of this writing.

The New Zealand-born Australian native last competed against the current reigning UFC middleweight champion. He took on Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 last July. Whittaker now looks to rebound from that TKO loss in the second stanza.

Costa also fought at UFC 278, where he secured a unanimous-decision win over former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in August 2022.