Chael Sonnen raises doubts about the potential clash between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa at UFC 298. Whittaker, a former middleweight champion, is set to take on Costa in the co-main event on February 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. However, Sonnen believes that the fight may not come to fruition, citing the history of both fighters having previous bouts canceled throughout their careers.
Sonnen draws parallels to a situation in the past when Jon Jones was scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 in 2015. Sonnen had a gut feeling that the fight would not happen, and his prediction came true after Jones was involved in a hit-and-run incident, resulting in the cancellation of the fight. Sonnen admits he doesn’t have any inside information this time but has a similar sense that the upcoming Whittaker vs. Costa bout may not materialize.
In addition to his doubts about the fight happening, Sonnen questions the lack of promotion from Whittaker and Costa. As a co-main event on a pay-per-view card, Sonnen believes that the fighters should be more actively promoting the bout. He observes that they are not behaving like typical opponents who are preparing to face each other in a televised and monetized event.
Overall, Sonnen expresses uncertainty about the likelihood of Whittaker vs. Costa taking place and highlights the fighters’ lack of promotional efforts leading up to the fight.