Just a few short months after his failed bid for the Middleweight title, Paulo Costa seems set to take another big fight against former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
According to Wallid Ismail, manager for Costa, they have signed a bout agreement and are awaiting Whittaker to do the same to finalize the bout. The bout is said to be scheduled for March.
This new information comes from an interview Ismail did with media outlet PVT, Ismail also shared that there is a high possibility the bout would be for an interim title as Israel Adesanya has shared plans to move up in weight and challenge for the light-heavyweight title.
Paulo Costa is coming off his first career defeat via TKO to the champion Israel Adesanya in September. The loss came in the second round after Adesanya completely shut out the Brazilian and executed a flawless title defense.
Since then, Costa has petitioned for a rematch before recently setting his sights of Whittaker.
The former champion Whittaker is coming off back-to-back victories over rising contenders following the loss of his title to Israel Adesanya in October of 2019.
Firstly, Whittaker took on Darren till in the main event bout that saw the Australian outpoint Till and take home a decision victory. More recently, Whittaker took on Jared Cannonier in October dominating the fight and winning a decision.
Following this victory, the UFC looked to put Whittaker in another title shot, however, the Australian’s lack of calling for the fight saw the company pivot elsewhere and look to set up a super fight for the Middleweight champion.
Whittaker shared that he will be ready to come back in March and is not specifically worried of who his opponent will be as he knows a title shot will come his way eventually.
Currently, the UFC is yet to confirm this bout neither has Costa or Whittaker themselves.