Robert Whittaker loses interest in Paulo Costa: 'I want a fight that's going to happen'

Robert Whittaker won’t get himself involved in a Paulo Costa fight again.

Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was scheduled to meet Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) this past February at UFC 284, but the fight fell apart when Costa failed to come to terms with the UFC. That wasn’t the first time Costa didn’t make it to a fight with Whittaker.

The pair were booked for a matchup at UFC on ESPN 22 in April 2021, but Costa withdrew due to illness and was replaced by Kelvin Gastelum. Based on their history, Whittaker doesn’t see Costa as a reliable opponent.

“I’m not fighting him because, mate, this is the second time I was supposed to fight him, and he’s pulled out, and it just mucks everything up,” Whittaker said on “The MMA Hour.” “I have to do a whole camp, and I make expenses and costs and everything like that to get to a point where he falls away. This is the second time he’s done it. I want a fight that’s going to happen. I want a sure thing.”

Another name Whittaker has been linked to is Khamzat Chimaev, who’s gearing toward a middleweight return. Although Chimaev has the name value, Whittaker doesn’t think the fight makes sense for him.

“Chimaev, he’s not in the division rankings,” Whittaker said. “I’m not a huge fan of guys just sliding in fighting wherever they want. It’s a different place. Like, the rankings are there for a reason, right? I like fighting top-five guys. That’s just where I’m at. I like fighting top about five guys because they’re the guys that they’re the best of the best, and they’ve earned, worked their way through the division to get there. It is so much harder to work your way through a division than to just slide in at the top.”