Sweden’s Khamzat Chimaev believes that his next opponent should be the former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker.
Australia’s Robert Whittaker was left without an opponent as the planned match with Paulo Costa fell through due to the Brazilian fighter having contract negotiation issues.
In an interview with Red Corner MMA, ‘Borz’ explained why Whittaker should be next for him. He said:
“I think I will fight Robert Whittaker. He’s got no opponent. Paulo Costa ran away after talking that much about me and Robert. So, I will fight Whittaker. I want this fight although I like him as a human being. He is a solid guy, doesn’t talk trash, doesn’t cross any lines … We are going to have fun at the press conference and fight each other.” [Transcript courtesy of MMA Mania]
See the full interview below:
Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight to be at middleweight
‘Borz’ Khamzat Chimaev has attempted to jump between the UFC’s welterweight and middleweight divisions. At middleweight, he has defeated John Phillips and Gerald Meerschaert, both unranked. At welterweight, he has defeated Rhys McKee, Li Jingliang, and Gilbert Burns thus earning himself a top-five ranking in the division. He most recently defeated Kevin Holland but was supposed to face Nate Diaz however he missed weight by too large of a margin.
Next, Khamzat Chimaev wants a fight at middleweight against the former champion Robert Whittaker. Most recently, the Australian athlete is coming off a win against Italy’s Marvin Vettori. Currently, ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker and Chimaev have no fights booked for 2023.