by Australian octagon star Robert Whittaker is furious as his fight with Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Perth ‘is cancelled’ after the Brazilian calls the fight ‘fake news’
- Robert Whittaker will not face Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Perth
- Costa has repeatedly stated that he has not signed a contract for the fight
- Reports now confirm Costa’s claims that nothing has been agreed
- Whittaker has confirmed the fight is over and he plans to be back in March or April
- UFC 284 is currently the biggest event on the 2023 UFC schedule
Former Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker will not square off with Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Perth – as the Brazilian knockout artist says he never signed a contract for the January fight.
Nearly two months since the UFC announced the middleweight clash would take place on Feb. 13, reports indicate that efforts to finalize the fight have failed.
Former Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker (pictured) will not square off with Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in Perth – as the Brazilian knockout artist says he never signed a contract for the fight in january
Since the fight was announced, Costa (pictured) has called the match ‘fake news’ on social media and has said in interviews that he is still in talks with the promotion over a new contract.
Since the fight was announced, Costa has called the match “fake news” on social media and has said in interviews that he is still in discussions with the promotion about a new contract.
Now ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto has backed up Costa’s claims, saying, “Costa and the UFC have discussed a new contract, but nothing has been agreed.”
Whittaker confirmed the rumors are true and the fight is over in a social media post Tuesday morning.
Taking to Twitter, ‘The Reaper’ said: “The fight with Costa fell apart. The UFC tried everything to get him in the fight. They gave him the new contract, as far as I can tell. I got it, to fight – and he still hasn’t taken the fight. They’re looking to reschedule me from March to April. It’s very upsetting.
Whittaker said in a recent interview that he thought Costa was just trolling and the fight would go as planned.
ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto supported Costa’s claims, saying “Costa and the UFC have discussed a new contract, but nothing has been agreed upon.” (Costa pictured in his fight with Yoel Romero)
“What he does is he’s a notorious troll for that kind of stuff, so I don’t pay too much attention,” Whittaker said during an interview with Submission Radio.
“And I don’t think anyone else should pay too much attention to the dude walking around with a bottle that says ‘Secret Juice’ on it.”
In response to Whittaker’s remarks, Costa tweeted, “I’m sad for Robert because the UFC didn’t tell him the truth lol you don’t deserve this.” Bro, sorry I’m not going to fight you at Perth UFC posting this (Robert vs Costa) just to sell tickets, you have to realize it. They didn’t pay me, I’m out! I am not joking.’
Costa assured fans on social media that the fight with Whittaker will not happen
The Brazilian also remarked on Instagram that the UFC should “stop being petty” and that there are no fights due to the organization’s “lack of negotiation skills”.
Costa’s last fight was against Luke Rockhold in August and he later said he would assess his options with the UFC.
The UFC 284 Perth event is currently the biggest event on the promotions calendar and the first time the championship has returned to Australia since 2019.
Pound-for-pound king Alex Volkanovski will take on new lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a champion vs. champion main event.
As of now, the UFC has not announced if there is a new plan for Whittaker (pictured), although ESPN reports sources say he will be moved to compete at a later date.
Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett will challenge for the interim featherweight title – and a host of Australian fighters will face off on the blockbuster card.
Whittaker said he would still travel to Perth for the card to meet fans and cheer on competing fighters.
