when I fight whittaker it won't be by decision, I'll go for the knockout. I hope he doesn't change divisions before then.
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) September 4, 2022
While Brazilian fans were intrigued by the possibility, Whittaker’s coach, Alex Prates told Sherdog.com that there is no chance that “The Reaper” will face Costa in Brazil.
“I have no idea where that came from, but it's not true,” Prates said.
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According to Prates, Whitaker is planning to return to action in February in his home country with a belt on the line.
“It´s almost confirmed. UFC is planning to hold an event in Perth, Australia, in February and we are going to fight for the title again,” Prates said.
Prates also confirmed a report from Combate.com that Whittaker suffered a partial tear to the medial collateral ligament of his right knee during camp. The injury occurred on July 27, which forced Whittaker to modify his preparation for Vettori.
"This kind of difficulty just shows what a monster of a fighter Rob is,” Prates said. “In fact, since we changed the training system after the first defeat to Israel [Adesanya], Rob has been improving absurdly. Not only him, but our entire team. Really impressive. And what you saw Saturday against Vettori was just a taste of what's to come.”