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Bounces back with strong effort
Whittaker defeated Paulo Costa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim.
ANALYSIS
It was a significant bounce-back performance from Whittaker on the heels of his first-round knockout loss to Dricus Du Plessis last July. Of course, Dricus has since gone on to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. As expected, Rob was the more technical striker the entire bout. He was the far more active man, as well, but he was nearly knocked out in the dying seconds of Round 1 after eating a Costa head kick. He recovered in between frames and proceeded to put together a solid final ten minutes to take the decision. Rob is now 33 years of age. He's been in countless wars over the years. He tends to get hit a bunch, even when he wins (like tonight), so durability is paramount if he hopes to remain in the title conversation at 185 pounds. This victory keeps him in the discussion despite the fact he's alternated wins and losses in his past four bouts.
It was a significant bounce-back performance from Whittaker on the heels of his first-round knockout loss to Dricus Du Plessis last July. Of course, Dricus has since gone on to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. As expected, Rob was the more technical striker the entire bout. He was the far more active man, as well, but he was nearly knocked out in the dying seconds of Round 1 after eating a Costa head kick. He recovered in between frames and proceeded to put together a solid final ten minutes to take the decision. Rob is now 33 years of age. He's been in countless wars over the years. He tends to get hit a bunch, even when he wins (like tonight), so durability is paramount if he hopes to remain in the title conversation at 185 pounds. This victory keeps him in the discussion despite the fact he's alternated wins and losses in his past four bouts.
Set to fight Costa
Whittaker is scheduled to face Paulo Costa in a middleweight bout at UFC 298 in Anaheim on Feb. 17, Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
Whittaker will have his chance to match up with Costa after the two had a previously scheduled fight fall through in December 2022. The 33-year-old Australian fighter is 15-5 during his time within the UFC, but he has lost two of his last three fights.
Whittaker will have his chance to match up with Costa after the two had a previously scheduled fight fall through in December 2022. The 33-year-old Australian fighter is 15-5 during his time within the UFC, but he has lost two of his last three fights.
Crushing loss to Dricus Du Plessis
Whittaker lost to Dricus Du Plessis via TKO (punches) at 2:23 of Round 1 at UFC 290 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
A truly shocking performance on multiple levels. Entering as a -350 favorite, Whittaker was fine for about four minutes before it all fell apart. He was thrown to the mat late in Round 1 and battered by some ground-and-pound from Du Plessis, including an elbow that cut him open above the eye. He seemed to be fully recovered early in Round 2 before getting stunned by a Du Plessis jab. "Bobby Knuckles" eventually found himself on the ground eating unanswered strikes along the fence before referee Marc Goddard stepped in. The company certainly wasn't rushing to book a third fight between Whittaker and current UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, but they would have had no choice if Rob won this fight impressively. Instead, Whittaker finds himself in a disastrous position. It's his first loss to anyone other than Adesanya dating back to February 22, 2014.
A truly shocking performance on multiple levels. Entering as a -350 favorite, Whittaker was fine for about four minutes before it all fell apart. He was thrown to the mat late in Round 1 and battered by some ground-and-pound from Du Plessis, including an elbow that cut him open above the eye. He seemed to be fully recovered early in Round 2 before getting stunned by a Du Plessis jab. "Bobby Knuckles" eventually found himself on the ground eating unanswered strikes along the fence before referee Marc Goddard stepped in. The company certainly wasn't rushing to book a third fight between Whittaker and current UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, but they would have had no choice if Rob won this fight impressively. Instead, Whittaker finds himself in a disastrous position. It's his first loss to anyone other than Adesanya dating back to February 22, 2014.
Added to UFC 290
Whittaker will fight Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 in Las Vegas on July 8, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Whittaker will partake in his first fight since September 2022 after his bout with Paulo Costa fell apart in Dec. The winner of his fight with Du Plessis will take on Israel Adesanya for the title later in 2023 in Sydney.
Whittaker will partake in his first fight since September 2022 after his bout with Paulo Costa fell apart in Dec. The winner of his fight with Du Plessis will take on Israel Adesanya for the title later in 2023 in Sydney.
Costa fight falls apart
Whittaker will no longer fight Paulo Costa at UFC 284 on Feb. 11, Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The UFC has not said why this fight fell apart after being agreed to in mid-October. Whittaker was coming off a strong showing against Marvin Vettori back in early September. Further details on Whittaker's next opponent should become more clear in the coming weeks.
The UFC has not said why this fight fell apart after being agreed to in mid-October. Whittaker was coming off a strong showing against Marvin Vettori back in early September. Further details on Whittaker's next opponent should become more clear in the coming weeks.