WATCH: ‘Bloody’ Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa STUN fans with eye poke, spinning heel kick, and brawl at UFC 298

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker goes to war against Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa at UFC 298.

WATCH: ‘Bloody’ Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa STUN fans with eye poke, spinning heel kick, and brawl at UFC 298

Robert Whittaker faced Paulo Costa in an exciting fight at UFC 298 (via X)

The fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa evoked a roller coaster of emotions. The former UFC middleweight champion faced number six ranked contender Paulo Costa in a pivotal matchup at UFC 298. The fight delivered nonstop action, as was predicted by the former champion.

Robert Whittaker landed crisp punches while Costa stalked forward, trying to land power shots in round one. Costa landed a spinning back kick in the final seconds of the first round, wobbling Whittaker. The bell saved him. The second round saw Whittaker recovered and landing crisp combinations. Costa also landed some shots that bloodied up the Australian fighter. Costa accidentally poked Whittaker’s eye with his finger. The referee gave Whittaker some time to recover.  The round went more in favor of Whittaker.

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‘The Reaper‘ continued, landing quick strikes in round three. Costa found more success with heavy overhand rights. Costa, however, slowed down significantly in this round. Whittaker continued his onslaught of combinations and leg kicks. 

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After 15 action-packed minutes, the judges awarded Whittaker the unanimous decision victory in the hard-fought battle. The judges scored the contest 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in favor of Whittaker. Whittaker has now rebounded from his previous loss to Dricus Du Plessis and reasserted himself as a top middleweight contender.

Fight fans react to the war between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa

The co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa at UFC 298 delivered nonstop action and dramatic moments. This had fans on the edge of their seats. The back-and-forth battle elicited strong reactions from fans as the fight progressed through three intense rounds.

Fight fans react to Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
Fight fans react to Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker (via MMA Fighting)

Fight fans took to social media to express their reactions to this epic fight. Many fans reacted strongly when Costa accidentally poked Whittaker in the eye in round one. Others believed that this fight deserved to be awarded the fight of the night. A subset of fight fans praised Whittaker for his comeback after he got wobbled in Round 1. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/Home_of_Fight/status/1759083764460794291

The back-and-forth action has fans commending Whittaker and Costa for putting on one of the best fights of the year. Their energetic reactions on social media reflected the electric atmosphere generated by the two warriors.

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