Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa put on a show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The co-main event of UFC 298 did not disappoint as the pair went toe to toe. Both fighters returned to action after a long time and looked to reestablish their position in the division. This fight was one of the most anticipated fights of the evening. Take a look at the payouts for both fighters from the co-main event of the evening.
Paulo Costa looked impressive in the first round as he bloodied up his opponent with lightning-fast leg kicks. But Whittaker battled back, and the fight was worth every dollar of the PPV.
MMA Journalist Manouk Akopyan reported the base salaries and bonuses for UFC 298 on X. According to the reports, Robert Whittaker is set to earn a whooping $300,000 base purse.
I obtained the guaranteed minimum purses and bonuses for #UFC298, as filed with the CSAC.
Alexander Volkanovski: $750,000
Ilia Topuria: $350,000Here’s the earnings recap for the rest of the 11-fight card. pic.twitter.com/w9rOJQ52fY
— Manouk Akopyan (@ManoukAkopyan) February 17, 2024
This makes him the third-highest base purse of the evening. His opponent, Paulo Costa, comes in at $250,000 as his base salary.
However, the bonus for winning the fight was $100,000 meaning, Robert Whittaker will earn a total of $400,000 including the winning bonus.
Robert Whittaker had a strong response to Costa in the second round, to make it a highly competitive fight. The former champion claims he has found his fire again.
Robert Whittaker claims he has found his fire again as he gets back to winning ways
Robert Whittaker looked like a different animal inside the octagon. The former Champion showed fans flashbacks of his prime when he faced Paulo Costa.
Despite being hurt badly in the first round, he rallied back for a unanimous decision victory. During his post-fight interview, Joe Rogan asked him how he felt. He responded by saying,
“Yeah this was the exact fight I prepared for, this was the fight that I wanted. I told you I’d take the fight to him, I looked for his scalp the whole 15 minutes but he’s a tough dude.”
Classy as always @robwhittakermma #UFC298 | Live on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/LI1tthniUS
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) February 18, 2024
Robert Whittaker will now look to build on his win and secure another title shot. The former champion has only one goal, and that is to win the title back.
UFC 298 proved to the entire division that he is still very much one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.
