Paulo Costa reveals he still hasn’t signed a contract to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 298, claims the bout is still on

Paulo Costa is still waiting to sign his contract for his UFC 298 fight against Robert Whittaker.

The UFC announced that Costa will finally return to the Octagon against Whittaker on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California. It’s an intriguing matchup but when the fight was announced, many fans were worried it wouldn’t happen.

Of course, Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker were booked to fight in Perth last February, but the Brazilian had a contract dispute with the UFC and the fight was eventually scratched. This time around, Costa revealed on The MMA Hour that still hasn’t signed a contract for the fight.

“I’ll tell you; I didn’t sign yet. They didn’t send (a contract). I’m waiting for the e-mail; I don’t know what happened. They said Anaheim, I’m okay with Anaheim, I like the California people, I spent a couple of months there last year in my coach’s house. The only problem with Anaheim is the tax, like all of California. They say Anaheim, so I think the fight is going to happen,” Costa said.

After Paulo Costa said he hadn’t signed the contract to fight Robert Whittaker, many fans began to speculate the scrap wouldn’t happen again. However, taking X, Costa confirmed the fight will happen as he’s just waiting for the contract from the UFC.

Fight is on , just waiting this get on email from ufc https://t.co/WPX2NWAlmQ

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) January 10, 2024

“Fight is on, just waiting this get on email from UFC,” Costa wrote.

Costa confirming the fight is on is great news as his UFC 298 fight against Robert Whittaker is a big one in the middleweight division. With Sean Strickland set to defend his middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis the month prior, perhaps the winner of this fight can get a title shot or enter a title eliminator matchup next. It’s also pivotal for Costa, who hasn’t fought since August of 2022 as he had a contract dispute with the UFC and then a bad elbow infection which pulled him out of his fight against Khamzat Chimaev in October.

Paulo Costa (14-2) last fought in August of 2022 at UFC 278 as he beat Luke Rockhold by decision. The win over Rockhold snapped his two-fight losing skid, as he dropped a decision to Marvin Vettori and was TKO’d by Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title. In his career, Costa holds notable wins over Yoel Romero, Johny Hendricks, and Uriah Hall among others.