A pivotal middleweight middleweight showdown between Robert
Whittaker and Paulo Costa
has been targeted for April 17.
Sherdog.com confirmed with sources from both camps that Whittaker
and Costa are in negotiations to headline the UFC Fight Night card,
likely in Las Vegas. However, an interim title will not be on the
line as Whittaker had previously hoped. Reigning 185-pound champ
Israel
Adesanya is slated to move up a division to challenge light
heavyweight title holder Jan
Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6. The UFC has not officially
confirmed the April 17 card.
Whittaker lost the middleweight crown to Adesanya at UFC 243 via
second-round KO in October 2019. Since then, “The Reaper” has
rebounded to post decision wins over contenders Darren Till
and Jared
Cannonier. The 30-year-old Sydney-based fighter has won 11 of
his last 12 Octagon appearances.
Costa, meanwhile, suffered his first professional defeat in 14
outings when he was stopped by Adesanya in the second round of
their championship clash at UFC 253 this past September.
“Borrachinha” began his promotional tenure with five straight
triumphs, including notable wins over Johny
Hendricks, Uriah Hall
and Yoel
Romero. The 29-year-old has finished all but one of his
triumphs inside the distance.