Paulo Costa calls out Robert Whittaker for 2021 fight
Paulo Costa has turned his attention away from the Israel Adesanya rematch to Robert Whittaker.
Ever since Costa lost to Adesanya, he has been clamoring for a rematch but the appears very unlikely to happen. So, the Brazilian took to social media to call out Robert Whittaker following his UFC 254 over Jared Cannonier.
Hey Robert Whittaker enjoy your end of year, you deserved. When you come back we can do amazing fight
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 25, 2020
“Hey Robert Whittaker enjoy your end of year, you deserved. When you come back we can do amazing fight,” Costa said.
On paper, it certainly makes sense for the middleweight division. Although some think Whittaker should get the next title shot, whether or not there is interest in the rematch with Whittaker and Adesanya is unknown. So, if Whittaker and Costa fight, the winner would no doubt add more hype to their name. They would also cement their case to earn the rematch with the middleweight champion.
Robert Whittaker is now 2-0 in 2020 with decision wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. The Aussie lost his middleweight belt last October to Adesanya by second-round TKO. Since then, he admitted he was burnt out but is now feeling much better but plans on taking the rest of the year off to spend the holidays with his family.
Paulo Costa, meanwhile, is coming off his first career loss at the hands of Adesanya at UFC 253. Entering the fight, many thought it would be a competitive one. However, that was not the case as “The Last Stylebender” dominated from start to finish until he scored the TKO win.
If Whittaker and Costa do end up fighting in 2021, it could give Adesanya time to go up to light heavyweight and try and become a champion or set up the superfight with Jon Jones. However, after Whittaker’s win over Cannonier, he is next in line. So, perhaps he just waits for the title shot. Costa would then have to fight someone behind him like Cannonier or Derek Brunson.
