The Ultimate Fighting Championship is braced to host its much-awaited UFC 298 pay-per-view event. The main card of the event is full of exciting fights across divisions. The main event will be headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria, whereas Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will fight in the co-main event of the night.
Robert Whittaker doesn't need an introduction, he has done enough in his career which has brought him recognition and acclaim. He has been a professional mixed martial artist since 2009. In his debut showdown, Whittaker locked horns with Chris Tallowin at XFC 14. He churned out a dominant performance by outlasting Tallowin in the first round via TKO.
Robert Whittaker cruised on dominantly in his early days registering victories on the trot. He also won the SFA and CFC welterweight titles. Robert Whittaker after competing in multiple professional mixed martial arts promotions eventually joined the UFC.
Robert Whittaker won the interim middleweight title in the promotion by competing against Yoel Romero at UFC 213 by a unanimous decision. Whittaker dropped the title to Israel Adesanya who defeated him via second-round KO.
Robert Whittaker’s rival for UFC 298, Paulo Costa is also a well-known professional mixed martial artist. Having made his professional debut in 2012 against Teo Esteves, Costa won by first-round TKO to start his career. He amassed a convincing 13-fight winning streak before suffering his first professional loss. Costa will be entering the octagon at UFC 298 after August 2022 for the first time after signing a new multi-fight deal with the promotion. Both the fighters will look forward to seizing a victory to progress further in their division.
Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa Stats
| Stats | Robert Whittaker | Paulo Costa |
| Record | 24-7 (9 KOs) | 14-2 (11 KOs) |
| Championship | - | - |
| Age | 33 | 32 |
| Height | 1.83m | 1.83m |
| Division(s) | Middleweight | Middleweight |
| Reach | 73 ½ “ | 72” |
| Win Streak (Active) | 0 | 1 |
| Professional Debut | 2009 | 2012 |
Robert Whittaker Record
Robert Whittaker has a professional MMA record of 24 wins and 7 losses as of February 2024.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 24–7 | Dricus du Plessis | TKO (punches) | UFC 290 | 08-Jul-23 | 2 | 2:23 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | UFC Middleweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 24–6 | Marvin Vettori | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa | 03-Sep-22 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Loss | 23–6 | Israel Adesanya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 271 | 12-Feb-22 | 5 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | For the UFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 23–5 | Kelvin Gastelum | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum | 17-Apr-21 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 22–5 | Jared Cannonier | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 254 | 24-Oct-20 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 21–5 | Darren Till | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | 26-Jul-20 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 20–5 | Israel Adesanya | KO (punches) | UFC 243 | 06-Oct-19 | 2 | 3:33 | Melbourne, Australia | Lost the UFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–4 | Yoel Romero | Decision (split) | UFC 225 | 09-Jun-18 | 5 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Non-title bout; Romero missed weight (185.2 lb). Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year. |
| Win | 19–4 | Yoel Romero | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 213 | 08-Jul-17 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the interim UFC Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Night. Later promoted to undisputed champion. |
| Win | 18–4 | Ronaldo Souza | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis | 15-Apr-17 | 2 | 3:28 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 17–4 | Derek Brunson | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson | 27-Nov-16 | 1 | 4:07 | Melbourne, Australia | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–4 | Rafael Natal | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 197 | 23-Apr-16 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–4 | Uriah Hall | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 193 | 15-Nov-15 | 3 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 14–4 | Brad Tavares | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt | 10-May-15 | 1 | 0:44 | Adelaide, Australia | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–4 | Clint Hester | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping | 08-Nov-14 | 2 | 2:43 | Sydney, Australia | Middleweight debut. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 12–4 | Mike Rhodes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs. Marquardt | 28-Jun-14 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 11–4 | Stephen Thompson | TKO (punches) | UFC 170 | 22-Feb-14 | 1 | 3:43 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–3 | Court McGee | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 | 28-Aug-13 | 3 | 5:00 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Colton Smith | TKO (punches) | UFC 160 | 25-May-13 | 3 | 0:41 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Brad Scott | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson | 15-Dec-12 | 3 | 5:00 | Gold Coast, Australia | Won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight Tournament. |
| Loss | 9–2 | Jesse Juarez | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Fighting Championships 21 | 18-May-12 | 5 | 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | For the CFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–1 | Shaun Spooner | TKO (punches) | Superfight Australia 13 | 23-Mar-12 | 1 | 4:01 | Perth, Australia | Won the SFA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–1 | Ian Bone | TKO (punches) | Cage Fighting Championships 19 | 09-Dec-11 | 1 | 3:15 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Hoon Kim | Submission (triangle choke) | Legend FC 6 | 30-Oct-11 | 1 | 3:01 | Macau, SAR, China | |
| Win | 7–0 | Corey Nelson | Submission (armbar) | Cage Fighting Championships 18 | 26-Aug-11 | 1 | 4:40 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 6–0 | Ben Alloway | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 17 | 03-Jun-11 | 1 | 4:07 | Gold Coast, Australia | |
| Win | 5–0 | Nate Thomson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 15 | 08-Oct-10 | 1 | 2:21 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jay Cobain | Submission (armbar) | Cage Fighting Championships 14 | 05-Jun-10 | 1 | 0:32 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 3–0 | Nick Ariel | KO (punch) | Cage Fighting Championships 12 | 12-Mar-10 | 1 | 2:50 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Richard Walsh | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Fighting Championships 11 | 20-Nov-09 | 1 | 2:40 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Tallowin | TKO (punches) | XFC 14 | 14-Mar-09 | 1 | N/A | Perth, Australia | Welterweight debut. |
Paulo Costa Record
Paulo Costa has a professional MMA record of 14 wins and 2 losses as a professional competitor as of February 2024.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 14–2 | Luke Rockhold | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 278 | 20-Aug-22 | 3 | 5:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Return to Middleweight. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 13–2 | Marvin Vettori | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori | 23-Oct-21 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. Costa was deducted one point in round 2 due to an eye poke. |
| Loss | 13–1 | Israel Adesanya | TKO (punches and elbows) | UFC 253 | 27-Sep-20 | 2 | 3:59 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | For the UFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–0 | Yoel Romero | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 241 | 17-Aug-19 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 12–0 | Uriah Hall | TKO (punches) | UFC 226 | 07-Jul-18 | 2 | 2:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0 | Johny Hendricks | TKO (punches) | UFC 217 | 04-Nov-17 | 2 | 1:23 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Oluwale Bamgbose | TKO (punches) | UFC 212 | 03-Jun-17 | 2 | 1:06 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 9–0 | Garreth McLellan | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum | 11-Mar-17 | 1 | 1:17 | Fortaleza, Brazil | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–0 | Adriano Balby de Araujo | KO (punch) | Jungle Fight 90 | 03-Sep-16 | 1 | 3:25 | São Paulo, Brazil | Defended the Jungle Fight Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Eduardo Ramón | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 87 | 21-May-16 | 1 | 2:40 | São Paulo, Brazil | Won the vacant Jungle Fight Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Bruno Assis | TKO (punches) | Jungle Fight 84 | 05-Dec-15 | 1 | 1:17 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Wagner Silva Gomes | TKO (punches) | FTF 11 | 24-Apr-15 | 1 | 4:37 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Won the vacant Face to Face Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Gérson da Conceição | TKO (doctor stoppage) | FTF 9 | 19-Dec-14 | 1 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Fábio Moreira | TKO (punches) | BH Fight: MMA Grand Prix | 01-Nov-13 | 1 | 1:26 | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Ademilson Borges | TKO (head kick and punches) | Upper Fight: MMA Championship 2 | 15-Jun-13 | 1 | 0:32 | Teófilo Otoni, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Téo Esteves | TKO (head kick and punches) | MMA Total Combat: Santa Luzia | 05-Feb-12 | 1 | 2:08 | Santa Luzia, Brazil | Middleweight debut. |
Robert Whittaker Losses
Robert Whittaker has lost seven fights in his professional career. He suffered his first loss against Hoon Kim, who defeated him at Legacy FC 6 via first-round submission. He encountered his second loss against Jesse Juarez at Cage Fighting Championship 21 by losing to Juarez via unanimous decision. Whittaker suffered a third and fourth loss in succession against Court McGee and Stephen Thompson at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 and at UFC 170 via Decision and first-round TKO.
Robert Whittaker lost his fifth fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 who knocked him out in the second round. Adesanya handed him his sixth defeat when the duo met again at UFC 271. His seventh loss came against Dricus du Plessis when he defeated Whittaker via second-round TKO at UFC 290.
FAQs on Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa Head to Head Record
A. He has a professional MMA record of 24 wins and 7 losses.
A. He has a professional MMA record of 14 wins and 2 losses.
A. He made his professional debut on March 14, 2019.
A. He is 6 feet tall.
A. He is 6 feet tall.
