Considering that “Borrachinha” initially came from a base in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I will be curious to see if he looks to surprise the former champion by revisiting his roots.
During his brief stint on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” we saw a very green version of Costa using cage pressure and takedowns to seal the deal on fighters before running out of gas and losing a split-decision (exhibition bout) to Marcio Alexandre on the show. Although the latest iteration of Costa has moved heavily toward the striking realm, I have to imagine that the Mineiro champion of jiu-jitsu’s ground game is still firmly intact.
When competing under the Jungle Fight banner, Costa demonstrated an ability to transition and ride while striking, appearing to maintain a good sense of positional IQ and awareness. But if the Brazilian does intend on taking Whittaker down, then Costa will need to come correct with his setups and executions.
Aside from the fact that Whittaker’s footwork makes it difficult for his opponents to set up their shots, the Australian also shows the small technical intricacies that make him hard to ground or hold down when grasped.
For example, while most fighters are reliant on more traditional defenses such as sprawls or battles for under-hooks, they typically end up losing out to superior grapplers since these defensive tactics involve a commitment to contact (which in turn begets more grappling).
Whereas Whittaker, though capable of using those defenses, does not rely on them. Instead, “The Reaper” prefers to head off takedown attempts at the pass.
Already possessing a strong base and balance, Whittaker’s hip and grip awareness also have improved through the years.
Not only does Whittaker utilize grip breaks and wrist controls, but the 33-year-old is also disciplined about consistently circling out to his opponent’s weak side, which helps dissuade re-shots and takedown chain adjustments from his foes. Even Romero had difficulty grasping or chaining off his initial attempts due to Whittaker’s persistence to fight hands.
What is even more impressive is Whittaker’s ability to go from thwarting takedown attempts to striking off the breaks, something that will also likely keep Costa honest in exchanges with him.
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie