UFC 298 is just around the corner, and Robert Whittaker looks like a man on a mission. In a recent UFC 298 press conference, Whittaker displayed significant confidence while answering the questions. The 33-year-old is a former middleweight champion looking to return to winning ways. As he prepares to take on Paulo Costa next, his answers are a testimony of his mental toughness.

Whittaker lost his belt to Israel Adesanya at UFC  271 via decision. Since then, the former champion has struggled to regain his belt and even lost his fight against Dricus Du Plessis. However, the 33-year-old, in his recent interview, revealed that he is better than the champion.

Robert Whittaker claims he is better than Dricus Du Plessis

Robert Whittaker took on Dricus Du Plessis for the first time at UFC 290. The much-awaited clash surprised everyone as “Stillknocks” knocked out the former champion in the second round. Since then the hard-hitting, South African has gone on to become the middleweight champion after beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297. Whittaker, on the other hand, is looking to regain his belt back and is high on confidence. While many believed that the better man won the fight at UFC 290. Whittaker doesn’t really agree with the fact.

In a recent UFC press conference, Whittaker said: “It’s not that I like lost, it’s like because just because of the person that I am. This I’m always an animal in a fight. I am always ready to fight, you know. You could jump me on my worst day and I’ll give you a good showing. It’s one of those things that when you fight for so long and you have so many changes in your life. Sometimes all it takes is just loosening the reins a little bit. You know when you fight these hungry dudes. Dricus is a hungry guy man. You saw in his last fight. And I think I underestimated that hunger, you know. I still do believe I beat him nine times out of ten. I still believe that I’m a better fighter than he is. I have a better skill set than he does. 

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‘The Reaper’ might believe that he is the better fighter. He still has to work his way back to the top. The 33-year-old has some stern words for Paulo Costa before their much-awaited clash. Will he be able to back it up when they meet next?

Will Paulo Costa finally take part in UFC 298?

Paulo Costa, the #8 ranked middleweight fighter, has been out of action for quite some time now. He was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 278 when he defeated former champion Luke Rockhold. Since then Costa has pulled out of multiple fights because of various reasons. The pair was initially supposed to meet at UFC 284. However, the fight never happened after “Borrachinha” pulled out of the fight because of a contract dispute.

Now the fans would hope that this time around, the fight would take place as scheduled. The upcoming clash holds huge importance in the middleweight division, as the winner might move closer to a title shot in the future. Both fighters have very contrasting fighting styles and their upcoming battle will be a treat to watch for the fans. Who do you think will win the fight at UFC 298? Let us know in the comments below.

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