Khamzat Chimaev is gearing up for his toughest test as he continues climbing toward the top of the middleweight division.
On Saturday, June 22, ‘Borz’ will return to the Octagon as part of a loaded UFC Saudi Arabia card from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Headlining the historic night of fights will be a 185-pound clash between undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev and former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker, the winner likely nudging themselves into position for a shot at the division’s top prize.
“Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia, that one is gonna be f*cking wild,” longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan said on his popular podcast. “That’s a wild one. That is a wild fight. Whittaker vs. Khamzat is legit. That’s a real fight, that’s a real fight for Khamzat because Whittaker is a big dude. Solid, beefy 185 [pounds], former champion. Both guys started at 170 but it was too hard to make it to 170” (h/t MMA Mania).
While ‘The Reaper’ has happily called the middleweight division home for the last decade, Chimaev was essentially forced to make the move from 170 to 185 after a massive mishap on the scale ahead of his scheduled scrap with Nate Diaz at UFC 279.
Khamzat Chimaev’s Only Middleweight Win Since 2020 came against a short-notice Kamaru Usman
Since then, Chimaev has only clocked one win in the weight class, besting former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman who moved up on short notice to face ‘Borz’ at UFC 294 in October. Chimaev won the fight via a majority decision.
“That’s a real 185’er as opposed to [when] they gave [Chimaev] Kamaru Usman, and Kamaru didn’t have a chance to prepare for that [fight],” Rogan continued. “He had 10 days. That’s not enough time. This is a big one. This is Robert Whittaker with plenty of time to prepare. A guy who is just as legit as they get. He just beat Paulo Costa. That’s a good fight. I like that.”
Whittaker is coming off a big win over the returning Paul Costa at UFC 298 in February. Winner of two of his last three, ‘The Reaper’ is 16-5 inside the Octagon and currently sits in the No. 3 spot in the middleweight rankings — eight slots ahead of Khamzat Chimaev.
