Robert Whittaker says Yoel Romero didn’t follow game plan against Paulo Costa

Robert Whittaker is of the belief that Yoel Romero was flustered when he couldn’t put Paulo Costa away.

On the main card of UFC 241, Romero and Costa engaged in a middleweight tilt. The bout went the distance and delivered hard-hitting action with both men delivering a barrage of power shots. In the end, it was Costa who walked out of the Honda Center with the unanimous decision win.

In a new video posted on Grange TV, Whittaker discussed Romero’s outing against Costa (via The Body Lock).

“He looked like a fighter that doesn’t listen to anyone but himself,” Whittaker said. “He just did whatever he wanted to do. He just did whatever he felt he wanted to do. He didn’t follow the game plan that was made for him.

“Any other coach would have been like ‘keep his back to the fence. He’s gassed, he’s got nowhere to go.’ You know what I mean? I’m sure he just didn’t follow advice and just did his own thing because his coaches have said that before.”

Whittaker, who holds two victories over Romero, says Romero may have been discouraged once he realized that Costa wasn’t going to crumble.

“I think Romero got [disheartened],” Whittaker added. “When he landed those bombs on Costa and Costa didn’t go anywhere, he was like ‘oh no.’”

Costa may now be in prime position to take on the winner of Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya. Whittaker’s bout with “The Last Stylebender” will be a title unification fight. Whittaker holds the middleweight championship, while Adesanya is the interim title holder.

Do you think Yoel Romero’s mentality changed when Paulo Costa wasn’t fazed by his power?