"One of the most dangerous and violent collisions" - Ex-UFC star claims Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa won't be the same after upcoming fight 

The Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa UFC 298 co-headliner is one of the most anticipated matchups on the card. According to three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, the fight will be so grueling that neither man will emerge from it unscathed. In fact, he holds that both men will sustain life-changing damage.

In one of his recent YouTube videos, Sonnen touched on how violent he expects the middleweight clash to be. It will pit a former 185-pound champion in Whittaker against a former title challenger in Costa, both of whom are determined, even desperate, to return to title contention.

"Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker, both the winner and the loser are going to be different when that fight is over. Do you understand that that is one of the most dangerous and violent collisions they have put together since Eddiel Alvarez-Justin Gaethje?"

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments about Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa (8:38):

It is curious that Sonnen has compared the Whittaker vs. Costa bout to one of the most violent clashes in lightweight history: Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje. Not long ago, 'The American Gangster' was of the opinion that the middleweight clash between Whittaker and Costa wouldn't take place at all.

He further insinuated that neither Whittaker nor Costa were behaving in a manner consistent with fighters who are scheduled to face one another. What could have swayed him to take a different position now is unknown, but violence ought to be expected from both men.

Costa is a born and bred pressure fighter who marches forward, cutting off his opponent's angles of escape and sandwiching them between himself and the fence, where he brutalizes them with bludgeoning combinations. Whittaker, meanwhile, is a speedy but surgical striker with a slick blitz.

More than that, 'The Reaper' has revealed that he intends to hurt Costa at UFC 298, which is an assertion he rarely makes.

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How did Paulo Costa's first title fight go?

Paulo Costa's first, and thus far only title fight, took place at UFC 253 against Israel Adesanya, who was the reigning middleweight champion at the time. Despite his best efforts, Costa failed to impose himself as he usually does, eventually freezing up before 'The Last Stylebender'.

Check out the ending of Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa:

Before long, he was taken apart by low kicks and TKO'd in round two before being subjected to a post-fight humiliation. To excuse his poor performance, he claimed to have consumed a bottle of wine the evening prior to help him sleep. But the excuse, coupled with his performance, only soured him to the MMA fanbase.