Despite being officially announced for the card, Paulo Costa had the MMA community in a chokehold when he revealed he hadn't signed his contract to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 298.
"Borrachinha" has had five cancelled fights since 2021, becoming synonymous with fight cancellations. In his last scheduled appearance at UFC 294 the Brazilian fighter bailed at the very last minute, citing an elbow infection as the cause - this didn't sit well with his fanbase who hadn't seen him fight in over a year.
Well, there is still hope for fans of Costa, as the #3 ranked middleweight made a big announcement on Twitter on January 12:
"Deal signed," the Brazilian announced, suggesting he's set to fight Whittaker at UFC 298. However, Costa had been scheduled to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 294 before being rebooked against Khamzat Chimaev --- nothing is guaranteed in the UFC.
Costa's last appearance was in August 2022, winning a fairly dominant unanimous decision over former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. This fight spawned a viral moment when Rockhold doggedly smeared blood all over the face of his adversary.
This fight marked the resurgence of Costa's popularity following a challenging period. Enduring consecutive losses and fight cancellations from 2021 to late 2022, "Borrachinha" needed this victory to reclaim his fan's support. Costa now has a golden opportunity at UFC 298 to demonstrate that he deserves his top-five position.
More must-reads: