Paulo Costa reacts to UFC 298 loss to Robert Whittaker
- Paulo Costa lost to Robet Whittaker at UFC 298
- The fight was one of the best on the card and went to decision
- Costa took to social media after the loss
By Jaren Kawada
Paulo Costa may have picked up another loss at UFC 298 but did not lose any stock with fans.
In a three-round war that likely would have been awarded Fight of the Night on any other fight card, Costa lost a close decision to Robert Whittaker in the co-main event on Feb. 17. Despite the loss being the third out of his last four fights, the fan-favorite middleweight did not appear to lose any fans.
Just hours after the fight, Costa posted his thoughts of the fight on social media, thanking fans for their support while stating his belief that his pressure and power should have won him the fight. In his tweet, Costa posted a fan-view video of the spinning wheel kick he landed on Whittaker at the end of the first round.
"Hey mtfks you're amazing thank you all for [your] support," Costa wrote. "During the fight I felt like I was winning pressuring him back and hurt his face but judges thought different. Anyway I'm back no injuries and next I gonna pressure even more until [I get a] finish. Lov u all"
Hey mtfks you’re amazing thank you all for support . During the fight I felt like I was winning pressuring him back and hurt his face but judge thought different. Anyway I’m back no injuries and next I gonna pressure even more until finish. Lov u all ❤️🧃 pic.twitter.com/Y14Ixk7T7w
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) February 18, 2024
Following his gratitude, Costa claimed he suffered no injuries in the fight and would "pressure even more" in his next fight in search of a finish.
Since suffering his first loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title fight at UFC 253, Costa has only picked up one victory, a Fight of the Night decision win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. Regardless, Costa still maintains a solid following on social media with 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
Damage or touching? Congrats Rob was great fight , enjoy . pic.twitter.com/abYObDMCXB
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) February 18, 2024
Costa also shared a side-by-side photo of he and Whittaker showing the difference in the damage between the two fighters.
Fans did not seem to care much about Costa's lack of recent success, tweeting their compliments of the former bodybuilder's improvement since his last win. Along with the wheel kick, Costa displayed impressive defense with the broadcast team comparing his chin and durability to that of Marlon "Chito" Vera.
Although Costa implied a quick turnaround in his next outing, the middleweight has averaged over 13 months in between fights since 2020 and still lacks a win over a fighter currently on the UFC roster.