Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa Pick, 2/17/2024 Predictions UFC 298 Odds

Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa

UFC 298

Honda Center in Anaheim, CA

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Robert Whittaker will face off against Paulo Costa at UFC 298 on Saturday, February 17, 2024. The opener has Whittaker at -225 while Costa is priced at +185.

Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker will be looking to add a victory to his career total of 25-7-0. The 33-year-old tips the scales at 185 lbs and comes in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 73". Paulo "The Eraser" Costa measures 6'1" and will fight at 185 lbs. The orthodox fighter comes into this fight with a mark of 14-2-0. The 32-year-old extends his reach 72". When talking about significant strikes, Robert Whittaker is landing 4.47 per minute while Paulo Costa is landing 6.50 significant strikes per minute. Whittaker lands 42% of the significant strikes he attempts and Costa is connecting on 60%. Regarding defense, "The Reaper" absorbs 3.39 significant strikes per minute while "The Eraser" takes 6.38. Whittaker also stops 60% of the significant strikes his opponents attempt and Costa deflects 47% of the strikes thrown in his direction.

In the wrestling category, Robert Whittaker is the more efficient wrestler as he takes his opponents to the canvas 0.85 times per 3 rounds. Whittaker is scoring a takedown on 39% of his tries and is defending 82% of all takedown attempts. Costa is scoring a takedown on 75% of his takedown attempts and thwarting 79% of the attempts against him. When it comes to subbing the opposition, Whittaker is the more skilled of the two fighters by going for 1.5 finishes per 3 rds while Costa looks to get 0.4 finishes per 3 rds.

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In his last fight, Robert Whittaker went up against Dricus Du Plessis and was defeated by way of a punch to the head in round 2. Plessis ended up landing 74 of 118 total strikes that he threw in that fight. Whittaker walked away from this fight having landed 32 of 71 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Plessis landed 62 of 104, which means his percentage was 59%. He landed 38 of 77 significant strikes directed at the head. On the other side of the cage, Whittaker landed 44% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 31 of 70. Out of all the significant strikes thrown, he connected on 23 of 59 pointed at the head. 66% of the significant strikes landed by Plessis and 93% of them connected on by Whittaker were done at a distance.

In the last Octagon appearance for Paulo Costa, he went up against Luke Rockhold and took home the victory by unanimous decision in round 3. Rockhold ended up landing 94% of his significant strikes at distance and Costa landed 72% of the significant strikes he attempted from distance. Costa connected on 70% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 73 of 103. He landed 37 of 61 significant strikes to the head. Rockhold landed 51 of 70 significant strikes in that contest. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he ended up connecting on 23 of 40 to the head. Discussing total strikes that he threw in that fight, Rockhold was 57 of 78 while Costa landed 106 of 137 total strikes.

Other fights to keep an eye on

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Geoff Neal faces off against Ian Garry. Neal comes into this fight holding a mark of 15-5-0. The 33-year-old steps on the scale at 170 lbs and measures 5'11". The southpaw fighter reaches 75". Garry stands 6'3" and weighs 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the Octagon holding a record of 13-0-0. The 26-year-old has an arm span of 74". When it comes to grappling, Geoff Neal is averaging a takedown 0.51 times per 15 min and Ian Garry takes his opponents to the mat 0.67 times per 15 minutes. In terms of striking, Neal tags his opponents 5.22 strikes/min and lands 50% of his attempted strikes. The other guy in this fight is Ian Garry, who tags the opposition on 56% of the strikes he has tried and lands an average of 6.67 per min.

Another must see fight on the night is when Henry Cejudo is set to enter the Octagon against Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili looks to add a win to his total of 16-4-0. The 33-year-old records a weight of 135 lbs and stands 5'6". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 68". Cejudo comes in at 5'4" and weighs in at 135 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the cage with a record of 16-3-0. The 37-year-old has an arm span of 64". In the category of takedowns, Merab Dvalishvili stops 78% of his opponents' takedown tries and is finishing his takedowns on 36% of his attempts. Cejudo is taking his opponents down on 34% of his attempts and is able to defend against 83% of takedowns his opponents have tried. In the category of striking, Dvalishvili absorbs 2.41 strikes/min while he deals 4.46 per minute. Cejudo, notwithstanding, takes 3.15 strikes per min and is connecting on 3.93 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Paulo Costa (+185)

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