Saturday, February 17, 2024Honda Center, Anaheim, United States
Robert Whittaker defeated Paulo Costa by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, held Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Honda Center, Anaheim. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Robert Whittaker won the decision.
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Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa
Fight stats: totals
Same scale left and right on every row; the pale tail behind a bar is attempts
Robert WhittakerPaulo Costa
0
Knockdowns0
95 / 175
Significant strikes67 / 151
54%
Sig. strike accuracy44%
95 / 175
Total strikes67 / 151
0 / 1
Takedowns0 / 0
0:00
Control time0:00
Where it landed
Significant strikes landed by target in this fight
Robert WhittakerPaulo Costa
6366%3958%
Head
44%812%
Body
2829%2030%
Leg
Where it happened
Share of fight time at distance, in the clinch and on the ground
93%
■ Distance■ Clinch■ Ground
Range × target
Significant strikes landed by range and target in this fight · landed / attempted in each cell
Robert Whittaker95 landed
Head
Body
Leg
Distance
6363/140
44/4
2828/28
Clinch
00/3
0
0
Ground
0
0
0
Paulo Costa67 landed
Head
Body
Leg
Distance
3939/117
88/12
2020/22
Clinch
0
0
0
Ground
0
0
0
Round by round
Significant strikes landed per round · the judges' scores under each
Robert WhittakerPaulo Costa
R1
38
27
10-910-910-9
R2
32
26
10-910-910-9
R3
25
14
10-910-910-9
Bars share one scale across rounds. Each chip is one judge's score for the round, coloured by who they gave it to.
Round 1Judges: Paulo Costa
0
Knockdowns0
38 / 62
Significant strikes27 / 49
61%
Sig. strike accuracy55%
38 / 62
Total strikes27 / 49
0 / 0
Takedowns0 / 0
0:00
Control time0:00
Round 2Judges: Robert Whittaker
0
Knockdowns0
32 / 55
Significant strikes26 / 54
58%
Sig. strike accuracy48%
32 / 55
Total strikes26 / 54
0 / 0
Takedowns0 / 0
0:00
Control time0:00
Round 3Judges: Robert Whittaker
0
Knockdowns0
25 / 58
Significant strikes14 / 48
43%
Sig. strike accuracy29%
25 / 58
Total strikes14 / 48
0 / 1
Takedowns0 / 0
0:00
Control time0:00
Judges' Scorecards
Media Scores
27
Robert Whittaker
2
Paulo Costa
●29-28 Whittaker×26●29-28 Costa×2●30-27 Whittaker
All 29 media scorecards
- MMAMania.com30-27Whittaker
- Seán Sheehan · SevereMMA.com29-28Whittaker
- Jed Meshew · MMAFighting.com29-28Whittaker
- Tristen Critchfield · Sherdog.com29-28Whittaker
- Ben Duffy · Sherdog.com29-28Whittaker
- Jay Pettry · Sherdog.com29-28Whittaker
- MMAJunkie.com29-28Whittaker
- Dominik Durniat · ddreporter Tv29-28Whittaker
- Kendrick Johnson · The Sports Daily29-28Whittaker
- BloodyElbow.com29-28Whittaker
- Chris De Santiago · Sports Illustrated29-28Whittaker
- Steve Duncan · mma.uno29-28Whittaker
- Keith Shillan · Sherdog.com29-28Whittaker
- Drake Riggs · MMAMania.com29-28Whittaker
- Ben Davis29-28Whittaker
- John Pollock · POST Wrestling29-28Whittaker
- Danny Segura · MMAJunkie.com29-28Whittaker
- Nick Baldwin · theScore29-28Whittaker
- CombatPress.com29-28Whittaker
- Ryan Frederick · WrestlingObserver.com29-28Whittaker
- Shakiel Mahjouri · CBS Sports29-28Whittaker
- Jake Noecker · Cageside Press29-28Whittaker
- Damien Bartonek · Fox West Texas29-28Whittaker
- Matthew Wells · MMAJunkie.com29-28Whittaker
- Paul Fontaine · WrestlingObserver.com29-28Whittaker
- Alex Behunin · MMA Mania29-28Whittaker
- Dayne Fox · BloodyElbow.com29-28Whittaker
- Scott Fontana · New York Post29-28Costa
- Daniel Yanofsky · The Sporting News29-28Costa
Fan Scorecards
560 fan scorecards submitted
85%
Robert Whittaker
1%
Draw
13%
Paulo Costa
●29-28 Whittaker58%●30-27 Whittaker25%●29-28 Costa12%●30-28 Whittaker1.6%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
70%
Costa
R2
93%
Whittaker
R3
88%
Whittaker
Betting Odds
Robert Whittaker
-250
71% implied win probability
Open: -221Best: -180
Paulo Costa
+217
32% implied win probability
Open: +178Best: +500
Average moneyline across 12 sportsbooks.
| Sportsbook | Robert Whittaker | Paulo Costa |
|---|---|---|
| BetAnything | -230 | +170 |
| BetOnline | -190 | +165 |
| BetUS | -180 | +150 |
| Betway | -400 | +275 |
| Bovada | -210 | +180 |
| Cloudbet | -216 | +186 |
| DraftKings | -810 | +500 |
| FanDuel | -290 | +215 |
| MyBookie | -350 | +220 |
| Pinnacle | -210 | +182 |
| SXBet | -228 | +178 |
| unibet | -240 | +185 |
Odds are for information only.
Build with this line: the same consensus odds, with opening and closing lines, are in the UFCalendar Fight API. Odds in the MMA Fight Data API
Insights
- Paulo Costa absorbs 5.96 significant strikes a minute, more than 95% of UFC fighters.
- Paulo Costa lands 6.15 significant strikes a minute, more than 96% of UFC fighters.
- Paulo Costa spends 86% of fight time at distance.
Style & credentials
Robert Whittaker
KarateHapkidoFreestyle WrestlingBJJ
- 2020Black belt · BJJAlex Prates
- 2017Champion · Australian National Wrestling Championships97 kg
- 2017Champion · Commonwealth Games Qualifier97 kg
- 2012Champion · Tufwelterweight
Paulo Costa
No background on record
Camp · Team Borracha · BrazilSig. strikes by zone
Where each fighter lands, as a share of significant strikes
72%45%
Head
10%41%
Body
18%14%
Leg
Time in position
Share of fight time at distance, in the clinch and on the ground
Robert Whittakerlast 7 fights
67%22%11%
Paulo Costalast 5 fights
86%
■ Distance■ Clinch■ Ground
How good, really
Each stat against every UFC fighter, in plain words
Robert Whittaker· from fights outside the UFC Paulo Costa· from fights outside the UFC
Strikes landed / min
4.416.15
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Good · better than 78% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Elite · better than 96% of UFC fighters
Strikes taken / minfewer is better
3.405.96
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Average · better than 50% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Poor · better than 5% of UFC fighters
Takedowns landed / 15 min
0.710.30
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Below avg · better than 31% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Poor · better than 14% of UFC fighters
Takedown accuracy
38%43%
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Average · better than 49% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Good · better than 61% of UFC fighters
Takedown defence
80%78%
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Good · better than 83% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Good · better than 80% of UFC fighters
Submission attempts / 15 min
0.000.00
PoorBelow avgAverageGoodElite
Robert Whittaker · Poor · better than 0% of UFC fightersPaulo Costa · Poor · better than 0% of UFC fighters
Ranked against 1483 UFC fighters with five or more UFC fights.
Striking & grappling
Same scale left and right on every row
4.41
Strikes landed / min6.15
3.40
Strikes taken / minfewer is better5.96
0.71 / 1.9
Takedowns landed / 15 min0.30 / 0.7
38%
Takedown accuracy43%
80%
Takedown defence78%
1:04
Control time / fight0:42
0.00
Submission attempts / 15 min0.00
Bars in a row share one scale. The stronger side is solid; the pale tail behind takedowns is attempts.
Where the strikes land
Range × target
Robert Whittaker25 UFC fights · 1489 landed
Head
Body
Leg
Distance
61%906/2588
8%122/213
17%260/305
Clinch
5%69/129
2%26/32
0%5/6
Ground
6%94/152
0%5/5
0%2/2
Paulo Costa12 UFC fights · 934 landed
Head
Body
Leg
Distance
38%356/866
36%339/416
14%131/148
Clinch
2%16/25
3%31/35
0%2/2
Ground
5%50/75
1%9/9
0%0/0
Share of significant strikes landed by range and target · landed / attempted in each cell.
When it ends
Every early finish of their careers, placed at the minute it ended
Robert Whittaker21 of 37 ended early · 57%16 went the distance
R1R2R3R4R5
8 early stoppages have no logged time
Paulo Costa14 of 20 ended early · 70%6 went the distance
R1R2R3R4R5
3 early stoppages have no logged time
finished the opponent got finished· placed at the minute the fight ended
Recent form · last 5
Robert Whittaker3-2
- W
- LUFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder · Jul 26, 2025Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- L
- W
- WUFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria · Feb 17, 2024Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
Full record · 37 fightsShow less
- L
- WUFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa · Sep 3, 2022Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- LUFC 271: Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 · Feb 12, 2022Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- WUFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum · Apr 17, 2021Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- WUFC 254: Khabib vs Gaethje · Oct 24, 2020Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- WUFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Till · Jul 26, 2020Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- L
- W
- WUFC 213: Romero vs Whittaker · Jul 8, 2017Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Interim Middleweight
- W
- W
- WUFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux · Apr 23, 2016Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- W
- W
- W
- WUFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs Marquardt · Jun 28, 2014Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
- L
- LUFC Fight Night: Condit vs Kampmann 2 · Aug 28, 2013Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
- W
- WUFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson · Dec 16, 2012Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Ultimate Fighter Australia vs. UK Welterweight
- W
- L
- WShaun SpoonerSFA 13 · Mar 23, 2012TKO · R1 · 4:01 · Welterweight
- WIan BoneCage Fighting Championship · Dec 9, 2011TKO
- LHoon KimLegend FC 6 · Oct 30, 2011Submission · R1 · 3:01 · Welterweight
- WCorey NelsonCage Fighting Championship · Aug 26, 2011Submission
- W
- WNate ThomsonCage Fighting Championship · Oct 8, 2010Submission
- WJay CobainCage Fighting Championship · Jun 5, 2010Submission
- WNick ArielCage Fighting Championship · Mar 12, 2010TKO
- W
- WChris TallowinXtreme Fighting Championships · Mar 14, 2009TKO
Paulo Costa3-2
- W
- WUFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 · Jul 19, 2025Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- L
- LUFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria · Feb 17, 2024Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- WUFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2 · Aug 20, 2022Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
Full record · 20 fightsShow less
- LUFC Fight Night: Costa vs Vettori · Oct 23, 2021Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- WAdriano BalbyJungle Fight 90 · Sep 3, 2016TKO · R1 · 3:25 · Middleweight
- WEduardo RamonJungle Fight 87 · May 21, 2016Submission · R1 · 2:40 · Middleweight
- W
- WWagner SilvaFace to Face 11 · Apr 24, 2015TKO · R1 · 4:37 · Middleweight
- WGerson ConceiçãoFace to Face 9 · Dec 19, 2014TKO · R1 · 5:00 · Middleweight
- WFabio MoreiraBH Sparta · Nov 1, 2013TKO
- WAdemilson Borges DuarteMinas Gerais Regional · Jun 15, 2013TKO
- WTeo EstevesMinas Gerais Regional · Feb 25, 2012TKO
Frequently asked questions
Who won Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa?
Robert Whittaker defeated Paulo Costa by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, held Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Honda Center, Anaheim. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Robert Whittaker won the decision.
What were the judges' scorecards for Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa?
The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, Robert Whittaker won the decision.
Was Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa a robbery?
Public scoring backed the judges: 85% of 560 fan cards scored it for Robert Whittaker; 93% of 29 media scores picked Robert Whittaker.