Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa: Is the bout officially happening at UFC 284?

According to the UFC, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will face each other at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia next year. However, Costa recently suggested that the fight deal isn't done yet and that 'The Eraser' is without a new contract before heading into a potential bout.

It seems Costa's current contract situation is confusing, with the fighter waiting for a new contract offer from the UFC but having his next bout already announced by the organization. The Brazilian is keen to make the fight a reality, but stated that he doesn't know what is going on with the UFC when speaking to Submission Radio:

"But I don’t have any deal to do this fight. This is the bad part. I want to do this fight, but I don’t have a deal. UFC didn’t send me nothing. No contract, no offer yet. It’s a weird situation. I don’t know what’s going on with the UFC."

Watch Costa speak about the UFC 284 bout here:

Paulo Costa hasn't fought in the UFC since facing Luke Rockhold at UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 earlier this year. Costa scored an impressive unanimous decision victory over Rockhold after three rounds of fighting.

'The Eraser' was on a two-fight losing streak in the organization after suffering back-to-back losses against Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya, but bounced back well against Rockhold at UFC 278.

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Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa: Height, reach and UFC record comparison

Despite Paulo Costa's confusion surrounding his scheduled bout against Robert Whittaker, the two fighters are still expected to fight at UFC 284 next year. Costa will enter the octagon with a slight height advantage, standing at 185cm tall compared to his opponent, with Whittaker standing at just 182cm.

However, 'The Reaper' will have a 4cm reach advantage against the Brazilian, with Whittaker having a reach of 187cm. Robert Whittaker also holds a sizeable advantage when it comes to UFC experience, with 'The Reaper' fighting 19-times in the organization.

Whittaker has won 15 of his UFC outings, losing only four of his fights in the organization. Israel Adesanya has beaten the New Zealander twice, with Whittaker also losing against Stephen Thompson and Court McGee.

Paulo Costa has only fought eight-times under the UFC banner, despite already being a well known name in the organization. Costa has won six of his outings, losing twice against Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya in back-to-back bouts.