“I continue to push for this fight to happen. Let's finally organize it. The UFC told me that Chimaev will not fight until June or July. Something like that. So I needed to look for other options. Whittaker was offered to me. I said, “Okay, let’s go.”
Let us remind you that Costa’s confrontation with Whittaker will take place on the night of February 18 as part of UFC 298.