Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria
Middleweight3 rounds scheduled
WIN
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
“The Reaper”
28-9-0
RESULT

Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Paulo Costa
BrazilPaulo Costa
“The Eraser”
16-4-0
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Honda 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.

Fight stats

Robert Whittaker
Paulo Costa
0
Knockdowns
0
95 of 175
Significant strikes
67 of 151
54%
Sig. strike accuracy
44%
95 of 175
Total strikes
67 of 151
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0%
Takedown accuracy
-
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:00
Control time
0:00
Significant strikes by target
63 of 143
Head
39 of 117
4 of 4
Body
8 of 12
28 of 28
Leg
20 of 22
95 of 172
Distance
67 of 151
0 of 3
Clinch
0 of 0
0 of 0
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
38 of 62
Sig. str.
27 of 49
38 of 62
Total str.
27 of 49
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
32 of 55
Sig. str.
26 of 54
32 of 55
Total str.
26 of 54
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
25 of 58
Sig. str.
14 of 48
25 of 58
Total str.
14 of 48
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00

Judges' Scorecards

Michael Bell
#WhittakerCosta
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
Eliot Kelly
#WhittakerCosta
1910
2109
3109
Total2928
Ron McCarthy
#WhittakerCosta
1910
2109
3109
Total2928

Media Scores

27
Whittaker
-
2
Costa
●29-28 Whittaker×26●29-28 Costa×2●30-27 Whittaker
All 29 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

85%
Whittaker
1%
Draw
13%
Costa
560 fan scorecards submitted
●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

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

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.

SportsbookRobert WhittakerPaulo 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. · Odds data: fightodds.io

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.

Full robbery index →
Referee
Mike Beltran
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Robert Whittaker 61%39% Paulo Costa

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model. Each fighter is rated against their own division, so read the gaps as directional.

Robert Whittaker
Complete Fighter
4 edges
Paulo Costa
Complete Fighter
4 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

94Power94
95Speed94
94Precision93
94Durability95
95Engine92
87Wrestling89
89Ground89

Biggest edge Robert Whittaker, Submissions +3

Attribute by attribute

Robert Whittaker is on the left of every row, Paulo Costa on the right.
93Punch power93
94Kick power94
96Punch speed94
94Kick speed94
94Accuracy93
87Takedowns89
91Ground striking93
87Submissions84
94Chin95
93Body strength95
95Cardio92

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

28-9-0
Record
16-4-0
1851
Power Index rating
1775
1
Win Streak
2
35
Age
35
6'0"
183 cm
Height
6'1"
185 cm
73"
185 cm
Reach
72"
183 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
Australia / New Zealand
Nationality
Brazil

Striking Profile

4.41
SLpM
6.15
43%
Str. Acc.
59%
3.40
SApM
5.96
59%
Str. Def.
49%

Grappling Profile

0.71
TD Avg.
0.30
38%
TD Acc.
42%
80%
TD Def.
77%
0.00
Sub. Avg.
0.00

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Robert Whittaker · 3-2
  • W
    Nikita Krylov
    UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 · Jul 11, 2026
    TKO · R3 · 1:01 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Reinier de Ridder
    UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder · Jul 26, 2025
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Khamzat Chimaev
    UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway · Oct 26, 2024
    Submission · R1 · 3:34 · Middleweight
  • W
    Ikram Aliskerov
    UFC Saudi Arabia · Jun 22, 2024
    TKO · R1 · 1:49 · Middleweight
  • W
    Paulo Costa
    UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria · Feb 17, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
Paulo Costa · 3-2
  • W
    Azamat Murzakanov
    UFC 327: Procházka vs Ulberg · Apr 11, 2026
    TKO · R3 · 1:23 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Roman Kopylov
    UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 · Jul 19, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier · Jun 1, 2024
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Whittaker
    UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria · Feb 17, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Luke Rockhold
    UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2 · Aug 20, 2022
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 25 fights · 12 fights
59.6
Avg sig. strikes
77.8
0.64
Avg takedowns
0.25
1:04
Avg control time
0:42
150
Career high strikes
163
4
Career high TDs
2

Strike Distribution

Robert Whittaker
Strike target
Paulo Costa
72%
Head
45%
10%
Body
41%
18%
Leg
14%
Robert Whittaker
Strike position
Paulo Costa
87%
Distance
88%
7%
Clinch
5%
7%
Ground
6%