Pictured: UFC middleweight Paulo Costa of Brazil Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

UFC 298 odds, pick & prediction for Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa on Saturday, Feb. 17

Originally posted on Action Network | By Dan Tom | Last updated Feb 15, 2024 10:05 PM ET

Here's everything you need to know about Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 298 on Saturday, Feb. 17 – our expert pick and prediction.

The co-headliner for UFC 298 features a top-shelf middleweight attraction between former champion Robert Whittaker (-250) and Paulo Costa (+205).

Whittaker is coming off a disappointing defeat to now-champion Dricus Du Plessis and will undoubtedly be looking for redemption this Saturday.

Costa, on the other hand, has not been seen since his 2022 win over Luke Rockhold due to a multitude of reasons that range from elbow infections to bout re-shufflings.

Although one fighter is coming off of a loss and the other off of a win, these two have quietly been on a collision course for some time now.

Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa Odds

Whittaker Odds	-250
Costa Odds	+205
Over/Under	2.5 (-160 / +125)
Venue	Honda Center – Anaheim, California
Time	11:30 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN+ PPV

Tale of the Tape

	Whittaker	Costa
Record	25-7	14-2
Avg. Fight Time	14:04	10:40
Height	6'0"	6'1"
Weight (pounds)	185 lbs.	185 lbs.
Reach (inches)	73"	72"
Stance	Orthodox	Orthodox
Date of birth	12/20/1990	8/21/1991
Sig Strikes Per Min	4.47	6.50
SS Accuracy	42%	60%
SS Absorbed Per Min	3.39	6.38
SS Defense	60%	47%
Take Down Avg	0.85	0.53
TD Acc	39%	75%
TD Def	82%	59%
Submission Avg	0.0	0.0

Even though Whittaker and Costa are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, both men traditionally tend to sort things out on their feet.

An inherent pressure fighter, Costa is a big fan of bullying opposition back to the cage with powerful, corralling strikes. Whether Costa's going to the body or the head, the 32-year-old bruiser does a decent job at varying the timing of his shots.

And when he's feeling in stride, Costa will unabashedly punctuate exchanges with hard kicks to the body.

Costa hasn't shown a ton of his wrestling or jiu-jitsu in the UFC, but "Borrachinha" initially stepped onto the scene as a grapple-first fighter, so I imagine that those skills are still firmly intact.

That said, I'm not sure how much grappling traction he can count on when facing a fighter like Whittaker.

A fleet of foot karate-boxer who knows how to wrestle, Whittaker can be difficult to get hold of, to say the least.

Hoping in and out of range, Whittaker possesses solid distance striking tools in the form of jabs and oblique kicks.

Utilizing unique timing signatures and change-ups, Whittaker will often draw out reactions that he can either build off of or adjust to on the fly.

Whittaker also has a mean left hook and high kick that could serve him well in this contest, but he can't afford to sleep on the grappling of Costa.

As we saw in his last outing opposite Du Plessis, Whittaker was not beyond allowing an opponent to get the jump on him with opportunistic offense.

If Whittaker's health and focus are where they should be for this fight, then I suspect that the 33-year-old can get back to dictating the "wheres" and "whens" of the wrestling exchanges.

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