"Got me popping" - Ex-middleweight champion reacts to Paulo Costa making him taste 'secret juice' during UFC 298 fight week

Paulo Costa took on Robert Whittaker at UFC 298, but unfortunately for the Brazilian, he came up short despite putting in a spirited performance on the night.

Costa, who has become somewhat infamous for his social media antics and his sense of humor, was seen with his signature 'secret juice' during the weigh-ins leading up to UFC 298.

When Costa first entered the UFC, many accused him of taking steroids. Costa played into this sentiment with his 'secret juice', crediting it as the reason behind his incredible physique.

While he hasn't shared exactly what is in the concoction, he offered former UFC middleweight champion and current commentator, Michael Bisping a taste. Speaking on UFC on TNT Sports' UFC 298 preview show, Bisping reacted to a clip of Costa offering him the concoction, and him accepting. He said:

"Look at those things! The secret juice has got me popping!"

Check out the clip here:

For his part, Costa did look impressive on fight night, particularly considering his long layoff. Whittaker, however, edged out the decision and stayed slightly ahead of the Brazilian throughout the affair.

Paulo Costa now has a professional record of 14-3. He has gone 2-3 in his last five fights and will likely need a win in his next outing if he still has any title aspirations.

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Paulo Costa reacts to UFC 298 bout with Robert Whittaker

While Robert Whittaker took home the decision win, Costa proved that he still belongs at the top of the list at 185 pounds with a spirited performance. Towards the end of the first round, he hurt 'The Reaper' with a spinning heel kick and was close to securing a finish before the buzzer.

The Australian made the necessary adjustments, and edged out Costa on the scorecards. 'Borrachinha' took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the fight, and give his thoughts on the decision. In a pair of tweets, he wrote:

"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."

Costa then shared a side-by-side image of both himself and his opponent after the fight. Alongside the image, he wrote:

"Damage or touching? Congrats Rob was great fight, enjoy."

Check out Paulo Costa's tweets here: