In news that will undoubtedly render Australian fans devastated, a contractual dispute has resulted in the eagerly-anticipated match-up between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa falling through.
The bout, which pitted two of the best contenders in the middleweight division against one another, had a great deal of hype behind it. With Alex Perreira shaking up the weight class with a shocking KO victory over Israel Adesanya, the road to gold has opened up.
And while albeit ‘The Reaper’ lost in controversial circumstances in his last encounter with ‘Stylebender’, it didn’t look like he was going to get a trilogy anytime soon. And as for Costa, he ended up flat on his tummy with Adesanya performing obscene gestures behind him.
But with the pair bouncing back against Marvin Vettori and Luke Rockhold, respectively, they looked on course for a number-one contender’s match. However, on this occasion, it wasn’t to be.
Robert Whittaker addresses Paulo Costa situation
To confirm the news, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ took to Twitter to express his discontentment.
He said: “G’day, everybody. I’m sure you’ve seen the media and the rumours going around right now about the Perth card, and it’s upsetting to say — very upsetting to say — they’re true. The fight with Costa has fallen apart. UFC tried everything in their power to get him to the fight. They gave him a new contract, from what I understand, to take the fight, and he still didn’t take the fight. So, yeah, the Perth fight is not happening.”
He continued: “They’re looking to reschedule me [in] March, April [2023] and this is very upsetting. I’m sorry to all the friends, fans, and family that are heading over there to watch me do work, but yeah, it’s out of my hands. I’m upset. I was prepared to train through Christmas, to train through New Year’s to put in the work. I’m already so deep into my camp, and everyone knows that my camps are quite long, so I’m already so deep into my camp and work.”
“I’m just going to train, I’m going to train my hardest, I’m going to train like a demon and just take out my frustrations on the next guy. Whoever they put in front of me. In that first quarter, I’m going to get in there and then do my work.”
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While the news comes as a blow to MMA enthusiasts, they still have the main event to look forward to. In one of the biggest fights in recent memory, pound-for-pound stars, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will go toe-to-toe for the Russian’s title, in a collision that has fight fans hooked.
Featured Image Credit: UFC