Paulo Costa Is Unimpressed With Champ Robert Whittaker
Paulo Costa is unimpressed with UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Costa is in the midst of a tremendous middleweight campaign. The 27-year-old Brazilian is undefeated in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. He currently holds a record of 12-0 and has finished all of those victories.
In his last outing, Costa defeated decorated striker Uriah Hall via knockout. He finished the former Ultimate Fighter finalist in the second round at UFC 226. Costa was awarded Performance Of The Night for his win.
After an impressive victory, Costa began campaigning for a fight with former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Costa hopes to make a huge statement en-route to a 185-pound title opportunity.
Instead, the UFC gifted Costa with an even bigger opportunity. He will fight No. 1-ranked Yoel Romero at Madison Square Garden at UFC 230. Costa recently told MMA Junkie that he’s confident he can knock the Cuban powerhouse out:
“This is the biggest challenge of my career,” Costa said. “But every fight is the biggest challenge, so I’m very confident. I will (knock him out).”
Title Shot:
With a big win over “The Soldier Of God,” Costa feels he’ll have therefore solidified himself as the next man up for a middleweight championship opportunity:
“After (I) win this fight, I will go to the title shot,” Costa said. “I believe that.”
It goes without saying that Whittaker is an extremely gifted mixed martial artist. He has been undefeated since jumping up to 185 pounds, racking up a plethora of knockouts and eventually capturing the title.
Whittaker has defeated the likes of Uriah Hall, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and back-to-back wins over Yoel Romero. The Aussie champ will defend his title against Kelvin Gastelum after the pair coach The Ultimate Fighter 28 (TUF 28) opposite one another.
Costa doesn’t see anything special about Whittaker despite “Bobby Knuckles'” amazing track record and results inside the cage. In fact, he calls a potential bout against Whittaker “a regular fight”:
“He’s a regular fight, for me,” Costa said. “He’s not so good in the standup, or wrestling, or jiu-jitsu, he’s a regular fight, you know?”
