IRVINE, Calif. – [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] is one win away from challenging for UFC gold – at least in his eyes.
At a UFC 298 pre-fight news conference Wednesday, Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) voiced confidence in his proximity to a middleweight title shot should he defeat Robert Whittaker (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) on Saturday at Honda Center.
“After my fight against Whittaker, for sure,” Costa told reporters including MMA Junkie. “I don’t see another way different than going straight for the belt after I beat Whittaker on Saturday. I have no other way to go. I think after (I) beat him, when you look at the whole division, you have a couple of guys who fight the way that people want to see, that people like to see the fights going on. It’s me. Beating him, I’ll be the next in the line.”
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Costa has previously challenged for the middleweight title. He was unsuccessful in a September 2020 bid against rival Israel Adesanya, which headlined UFC 253.
In order to get a second shot at the ultimate goal, Costa will need to get through a man who long reigned over the middleweight division. However, Costa has faith in the improvements he’s made this training camp.
“I just hope he brings the best version of himself,” Costa said. “I’m prepared to show I’m different from that guy that you guys saw against (Marvin Vettori) or against Luke Rockhold. I did a lot of improvements. I’m faster. I’m more dangerous than before.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.