Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal Added to UFC 298 Lineup

Another banger added to #UFC298 🔥@RobWhittakerMMA vs @BorrachinhaMMA official for February 17th! pic.twitter.com/HN1FRyNDLJ

— UFC (@ufc) December 22, 2023

UFC 298 is shaping up to be a treat for mixed martial arts fans with the addition of two riveting matchups.

According to an announcement made by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White on Thursday, UFC 298 will feature former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (24-7) taking on Paulo Costa (14-2) while rising Irish star Ian Garry (13-0) will face his first Top 10 opponent in No. 8 ranked welterweight Geoff Neal (15-5).

Whittaker has gone 1-2 in his last three Octagon appearances, most recently suffering a Round 2 technical knockout against Dricus Du Plessis in their meeting at UFC 290. The former champion will look to make a return to winning ways if he hopes to earn another shot at the middleweight title.

Meanwhile, Costa last appeared inside the Octagon at UFC 278 back in August 2022, where he secured a unanimous decision victory against Luke Rockhold. Since then, “Borrachinha” has been out of action due to contract negotiations followed by a serious staph infection that forced him to withdraw from his latest booking against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.

While Garry and Neal were initially booked to compete at UFC 292, the American bowed out from the match due to an undisclosed medical situation.

In his latest Octagon appearance, Neal had his two-fight winning streak snapped after being submitted in the final minute of a three-round affair with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285.

Garry, on the other hand, has maintained his undefeated record on his way to the Top 10 of the welterweight division. Currently on a six-fight win streak in the promotion, the Irishman most recently put on a masterclass against divisional veteran Neil Magny to secure a unanimous decision victory at UFC 292.

UFC 298 is set to take place on Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and will be headlined by a featherweight title clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. Moreover, the co-main event will feature a high-profile bantamweight meeting between former champion Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili.