Paulo Costa thought he was winning at UFC 298, promises to 'pressure even more' next time

Paulo Costa came up short at UFC 298, but he didn’t feel like that was the case until Bruce Buffer read the official decision.

While Saturday’s co-main event was exciting, Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Shortly after the loss, Costa released two statements, one in English and one in Portuguese, on social media. While the statements were similar, the Portguese one was slightly more comprehensive.

“Good to be back in the octagon!” Costa wrote in Portuguese. “It feels good to feel this wonderful energy from all of you cheering me on! Glad I delivered the show you guys wanted! During the fight I felt like I was winning but the judges disagreed and they didn’t see that, anyway I will have to impose myself more in the sense of not leaving the judges’ decision the next ones. Thank you very much! I’m sorry.”

Costa, 32, fell to 1-3 in his most recent four fights as a result of Saturday’s loss. A fan favorite, Costa has largely been competitive inside the cage regardless of opponent, but has struggled to compete on a consistent basis. UFC 298 was only Costa’s fourth fight since September 2020.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.