"I wouldn't be surprised" - Fans react as Paulo Costa jokes about pulling out of UFC 298 fight last moment

Paulo Costa left fans chuckling with his latest quip about backing out of the UFC 298 showdown in the nick of time.

The Brazilian is set to square off against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the co-headliner of the second pay-per-view event of 2024, scheduled for Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Ahead of the potential title eliminator, 'Borrachinha' successfully made weight, tipping the scales at 185.5 pounds during Friday's official weigh-in for UFC 298.

After officially confirming his fight, Costa quickly turned to X and playfully teased his fans by inquiring about the likelihood of him withdrawing from UFC 298 at the eleventh hour:

"What’s the odds of my pull out now?"

Check out Paulo Costa's X post below:

Fans responded to Costa's post with an array of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"Legit, it could still happen, and I wouldn't be surprised."

Another wrote:

"Dana would take an urgent flight to your hotel and oil you up if you pull out now 😂"

Check out some more reactions below:

Credits: @BorrachinhaMMA on X

'Borrachinha' holds a unique record, having had five fights canceled in the past two years. Costa has been absent from the octagon for over a year since his last fight against Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August 2022. In 2023 alone, he withdrew from three significant matchups for various reasons, including his canceled bout against 'The Reaper' at UFC 284.

Furthermore, Costa pulled out of his scheduled UFC 291 fight against Ikram Aliskerov but later agreed to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from that bout as well, just days before the event, due to elbow surgery.

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Robert Whittaker discusses his approach to facing Paulo Costa at UFC 298

Robert Whittaker suffered a second-round stoppage defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 in July 2023, and he has recently acknowledged errors in his training regimen leading up to that fight.

However, Whittaker is resolute in his determination to prevent Paulo Costa from defeating him at UFC 298. Speaking at a recent press conference in Sydney, 'The Reaper' stressed that he has gleaned valuable lessons from his past mistakes and views his defeat to du Plessis as a crucial turning point for growth:

"The du Plessis camp and fight itself was a good wake-up call. I think there’s good to be had in just about everything."

He added:

"I’m coming into this fight hungrier than ever. I’ve been really focusing on bringing that animal back. I’m not just in it, this fight, to win. I’m in it to hurt Costa, and I think that mentality is a powerful thing to have. When you fight for so long, and you have so many changes in your life, sometimes all it takes is just loosening the reins a little bit."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (6:10):