At the co-main event show, UFC played host to the match between Whittaker and Costa in the middleweight division. The match was Costa’s first bout a year after his 2022 win against Luke Rockhold. On the other hand, Whittaker made a comeback after losing to Du Plessis at UFC 290, who went on to win the middleweight belt by beating Sean Strickland. The pressure has been on the Aussie to put himself back in the title frame and avenge his loss. True to his nickname “The Reaper,” Whittaker outstruck the Brazilian Costa and gained a unanimous victory in their bout.
The first leg of the fight kicked off with Costa breaking through Whittaker’s defense with two head kicks. Costa followed through with a lead jab and tried for a leg kick, but Whittaker kept his defenses up. Both strikers circled each other, but Costa threw a weak jab, and Whittaker countered with an overhand left and followed through with a low kick. He came at Costa with a couple of strikes that did not connect.
Next, Whittaker followed with a right cross and a left jab, which Costa responded to with body shots. Costa landed a thigh kick, but Whittaker retaliated with a couple of blows and jabs of his own. A rugged right cross by Whittaker followed, but Costa ended the round with a nice spinning back-kick to Whittaker’s head that shocked him a bit.
Round two began with a low kick from Costa, which Whittaker responded to with a left jab to the face. Costa followed up with blows between Whittaker’s defense and scored a hit, leaving the Aussie’s face busted up. The match was paused briefly after a thumb got into Whittaker’s eyes. After the match resumed, Costa went for a few head kicks while Whittaker went for a low kick and followed with a hook combo. The Australian landed a series of strikes. Costa teased him by sticking his tongue out, but Whittaker remained unperturbed and kept his defenses up. Costa went for double high kicks, but only one connected. Whittaker responded with a two-punch combo, bringing the round to a close.
After Whittaker’s bounce back in round two, he continued with the deadly leg kicks that had caused a welt on “Borachincha” legs and were already starting to affect him. Whittaker picked up the pace. The bloodied-up Australian continued the throw jabs that seemed to do nothing to Costa. His opponent retaliated with low kicks and closed the distance. He attempted another flying kick, but Whittaker saw it coming and moved out of the way. Whittaker continued to land more strikes and the bout end with a win for him via unanimous decision.
The win led to Whittaker’s up ranking as the #3 on the UFC 185-pound ranking and has brought him much closer to a match for attaining his championship title. As for Costa, his laborious effort will see him face off against another solid opponent in his next match. Although his dream for UFC gold has encountered a hiccup on the road due to this loss.
