Robert Whittaker and Tai Tuivasa shared a laugh when a fan had some harsh words for Paulo Costa.
UFC 284 drops on February 11 in Perth, Australia. Whittaker was initially expected to fight in the co-main event against Costa with much support from the Australian fans. Unfortunately, the Brazilian scrapped the middleweight matchup because he wants more money from the UFC before competing again.
Whittaker, Tuivasa, Kai Kara-France and Kyle Noke participated in a Q&A during fight week at UFC 284. Things started to get out of hand when a fan asked ‘The Reaper’ this question:
“When are you going to put your hands on [Paulo] Coast and knock that bitch out?
The entire panel found the question amusing, but Whittaker still gave an honest answer:
“I wanted to get my hands on him this weekend. That was the plan. He was so excited for that fight. He had many plans for it. I thought it would have been a really killer main event. I would have put on an amazing show for you guys, but it is what it is.”
The fan ended the entertaining exchange by saying:
“He’s a fucking cunt. Fuck that c*nt”
Watch Robert Whittaker and Tai Tuivasa laugh at the question about Paulo Costa below:
Robert Whittaker isn’t sure what’s next for him at middleweight
On April 8, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will have their rematch fight for the UFC middleweight championship. Now that Robert Whittaker likely won’t fight Paulo Costa next, it’s unclear what’s next for him as the number two ranked contender.
During an interview with mmfighting‘The Reaper’ had this to say about fighting the winner of Pereira/Adesanya or Khamzat Chimaev:
“It’s a strange place, he is [Chimaev] not even fixed middleweight right now. Umm… there are a lot of guys in front of him, but then I’m in a weird position looking for a great fight. I’m just lurking at, you know, the Adesanya-Pereira border trying to get my hands on any of them. So, yeah, we have to wait and see.”
Whittaker’s next fight could change depending on the outcome between Pereira and Adesanya. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has two wins against ‘The Reaper’, making the matchup less intriguing than a new opponent in ‘Poatan’. In the meantime, Chimaev plans to make a permanent move to middleweight, which could put him in a number one contender’s fight against the 32-year-old former UFC champion.