Robert Whittaker claims he's "skill wise" a better fighter than Paulo Costa    

Robert Whittaker believes he is on another level in terms of skill than his upcoming opponent Paulo Costa but joked that the Brazilian "benches" more than him.

Fight fans praised the UFC matchmakers earlier this month when it was announced that Whittaker was going to be stepping into the octagon against Costa at UFC 284. 'The Reaper' has seemingly cleared the entire division aside from the champion Israel Adesanya, but 'Borrachinha' is one of the few names in the division's top 10 he is yet to face.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian is riding high after defeating Luke Rockhold in UFC 278's Fight of the Night. 'Borrachinha's' stock is on the rise in the UFC thanks to his antics on social media, and a win over Whittaker could secure a lucrative new contract as well as a second run at the title.

Robert Whittaker recently appeared on Submission Radio to give a breakdown of the fight. According to the Australian, Costa is a fun matchup but he ultimately believes he is a better fighter than the Brazilian:

"I think he's a tough guy and I'm taking this fight with all the respect that I do every other fight. I'm gonna go in there in February as the best version of myself. I think the best version of myself is better than everybody else in the division. I think skill wise, I'm better than Paulo across the board. He probably benches more than me though!"

Catch Robert Whittaker on Submission Radio here:

---

Robert Whittaker weighs in on Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira

The fate of the middleweight division will be decided next month when Israel Adesanya takes on Alex Pereira in UFC 281's main event.

The clash for the middleweight title pits the two long-time rivals against one another, which many consider will be one of Adesanya's toughest fights in the UFC till date.

Their rivalry dates back to 'Izzy' and 'Poatan's' time as professional kickboxers. Pereira fought and defeated Adesanya twice, winning the second bout via KO. It remains the only time the New Zealander has been finished in his combat sports career.

Despite their history, Robert Whittaker has backed Israel Adesanya to get the job done over Alex Pereira. According to the Australian, Adesanya is the best defensive striker in the UFC and the smaller gloves used in MMA will play a major factor in the fight. 'The Reaper' stated on a recent episode of James Lynch's MMA Pros Pick:

"If I was a betting man, I'd have to go with Adesanya, you'd have to. I think he's the best defensive striker in the game, physically it just makes perfect sense for him to fight that way and he's a tricky guy to hit, but Pereira is huge, man. He's a huge guy and they've fought before so they have some sort of understanding of each other's reach."

Catch Robert Whittaker's prediction here: