Robert Whittaker will fight close to home when he faces Paulo Costa in a featured middleweight bout on the upcoming UFC 284 card scheduled in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11.
UFC officials announced the matchup on Thursday. UFC 284 takes place at the 15,000-seat RAC Arena.
G'DAY AUSTRALIA! @RobWhittakerMMA vs @BorrachinhaMMA is the first fight officially confirmed for #UFC284!
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) October 20, 2022
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[Bout subject to WA Combat Sports Commission approval] pic.twitter.com/HQ6xxeB0n3
Fresh off a win over Marvin Vettori in September, Whittaker was a high-priority athlete for the UFC’s return to Australia. Originally born in New Zealand but now residing in Australia, Whittaker has remained one of the most popular fighters in the region in addition to being one of the top middleweights in the world.
Whittaker has put together a remarkable resume at 185 pounds with a 12-2 record overall. His only losses are against reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
As for Costa, the one-time title challenger will also look to build off the strength of his previous fight where he defeated ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold by decision at UFC 279. The victory put Costa back on track after he dropped back-to-back fights, which count as the only two losses in his career.
Now, Costa will face another former champion in Whittaker as the middleweights clash in Perth in February.
