Paulo Costa releases statement after UFC 298 loss to Robert Whittaker: ‘If I had a few more seconds’

After 1.5 years filled with false starts and fight cancelations, Paulo Costa finally stepped back into the cage at UFC 298 against Robert Whittaker last night (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. And while “Borrachinha” dropped a competitive decision to “The Reaper” (see scorecards here), he did well enough to prove he still belonged at the top of the Middleweight division.

In a new statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Costa discussed the loss and what he think went wrong for him in the cage.

“Yeah, I’m not happy, these sort of feelings always sucks because I was so close!” Costa said. “So so so f—ing close! Almost. Everybody saw the very end of the first round. If I had a couple of seconds it would be different. But, not only that! If I had pressured just a little bit more in the second and third round, connect more punch and kicks, it’d be different.

“He did a very good job,” he continued. “Congrats Rob on your victory and you did a really nice job. I just feel I damaged him very well. Only jabs, but I should have connected more hands on him. Pressure a bit more. But, that’s it. After 18 months out the cage, bro, I feel great. You guys make me feel great. Thanks for all the support, I love you so much. You guys treat me very, very well.

“I feel in my prime,” Costa added. “I don’t feel worse, but maybe a lack of competitive [instinct] inside the cage. My fight mindset was not accurate. I thought I was winning the third round but I wasn’t. So yeah, I will pressure more, but these are small details, I will fix all these details and be back and not make the same mistakes again.”

As for the future? Costa is hoping for a quick turnaround of about three months.

“I want to fight in May so I can fight in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I’m very excited for the future. This year, guys, 2024, is the year for gold, I still believe in that. I will learn from it, I will face whoever I need to face, I will get my victories, and I’ll go for the belt, okay? This is my promise to you, I feel in my prime, I feel very well, in good shape. Better than ever. And this is the first fight of the year and I’ll be back very soon.”

The defeat drops Costa to 1-3 over his last four, but “Borrachinha” is currently sitting at No. 6 in the 185-pound rankings and will still be in striking distance of the Top 5 once things are updated on Monday. Could he manage to rocket into No. 1 contendership in 2024 like he’s hoping? It’d take a pretty hectic schedule to make that happen.

Forget championship gold, we’d just be happy to see Costa in the cage three times this year.

Rio, too, perhaps?

For complete UFC 298 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.