Perennial middleweight contender Robert Whittaker is set to make his return to the UFC Octagon in April against recent title challenger Paulo Costa. ‘The Reaper’ and ‘Borrachinha’ will headline a UFC Fight Night card on April 17th, and the highly anticipated clash will probably decide the next middleweight contender.

‘Bobby Knuckles‘ defeated Jared Cannonier at UFC 254, stacking up two consecutive wins over top contenders. Before that, he had bettered Darren Till in July.

Costa, on the other hand, is coming off of a loss against champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 254. This was the Brazilian’s first loss in his professional career.

Whittaker lost his belt to ‘Stylebender’ at UFC 243 and wants to get another shot at the champion. But the former kingpin doesn’t intend to campaign or force for a rematch. He is content to wait for his turn.

Adesanya is set to move to light-heavyweight as he will challenge Jan Blachowicz for the 205 lbs title in March. With the champion moving up, the division is in danger of being put on hold. But ‘Stylebender’ doesn’t intend to vacate his middleweight belt.

Paulo Costa vs Robert Whittaker will not be for the interim title

Many expected Costa vs Whittaker to be for the interim belt. Both fighters campaigned for that stipulation to be added to the high-profile bout. But many reliable sources have confirmed that no such prize will be up for grabs when two top middleweights collide.

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Stylistically, this fight promises to be a banger too, as both fighters are high-level strikers. Costa is a brawler with powerful punches and kicks, while Whittaker is better technically and has much more expertise in distance management inside the Octagon. Also, both are pretty much equipped should the fight hit the mat. Nevertheless, fans are in for a treat.

Who gets the win and establishes himself as the top contender? Whittaker or Costa?