Robert Whittaker no longer wants to end up in the bout alone in case Paulo Costa withdraws again. In line with that, the fighter revealed sharing his concerns with the UFC, which in response gave him some insurance.
Costa and Whittaker will be facing each other in a co-main match at UFC 298 this Saturday. This is the third time the pair is booked by the promotion after Costa withdrew in the first two fights he was supposed to have with Whittaker. And despite “The Eraser” making promises in his recent interviews to crush him, Whittaker can’t help but worry that the opponent will make the same move again and leave him without a fight.
According to “The Reaper,” he talked to the UFC about the matter to voice his concerns. Fortunately, the company is aware of this and seemingly anticipating such a possibility. As such, the former champ said that the promotion assured him that he would fight someone should Costa back out again in the last minute of their fight.
“He’s a good fighter, he knows how to fight, and he’s obviously a pretty good athlete,” Whittaker told ESPN MMA. “I think he’s quite unprofessional. But other than that, I got nothing on him, I don’t know who he is…
“The UFC understands my concerns, and they’re accommodating me with Paulo Costa’s track record. You have to. There are extra stipulations, right? They just guaranteed me I was going to fight somebody. I have no idea [if there’s a backup fighter]. I’ve never really given it much thought. I’m here to fight. I’ve seen him now, so we’re all good.”
The fight is much needed by Whittaker, who will try to bounce back from his loss to Dricus Du Plessis in July last year. The win gave “Stillknocks” the shot to Sean Strickland, ultimately allowing him to steal the belt. The loss was a huge missed opportunity for Whittaker, who is again aiming to secure a title shot to steal the middleweight for the second time.
