Middleweight Paulo Costa is unsure whether he will take on Robert Whittaker at UFC 284.
Middleweight contender Paulo Costa is unsure about his future in in the UFC. Although ‘Borrachinha’ is expected to take on former champion Robert Whittaker in February 2023, the Brazilian does not know whether or not he will stay in the fight, or within the promotion altogether.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Costa revealed he has not signed the contract to take on Whittaker yet. In fact, the Brazilian once again pointed out how he may not even renew his UFC contract if the company does not meet his terms. Although he would like to stay with the promotion, Borrachinha believes it’s up to them to make it happen.
“I haven’t renewed with the UFC. I had a talk with Hunter. He was supposed to get back to me. I asked him about a figure and he was supposed to give me an answer about it. I haven’t gotten an answer yet. Anything is possible. I have one fight left and I’m not very sure. I’ve got some lawyers looking at the contract, seeing how it works, because it can also be terminated over time. Maybe I don’t even need to fight to finish my contract,”
“We need to know how to take care of our stuff and the UFC contract is business,” Costa said. “I need to be aware of how it works so I don’t make a mistake, I need to make the most out of it. I have one fight left or the time clause. I believe that’s it, but I’m still talking to my lawyers. I’d really like if this Whittaker fight could happen, but it’s up to the UFC. There’s no contract yet, there’s nothing. I wish there was a contract up to par to the level of this fight.”
In his last outing, Costa (14-2) defeated former champion Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision, back in August. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 31-year-old, with losses to Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya, respectively in October 2021 and September 2020.
For now, Costa is still expected to take on Whittaker at UFC 284, in Perth, Australia, on February 12. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a superfight between the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight title-holder Islam Makhachev.