Former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has issued a stark reminder of his ability to incoming foe, Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their showdown at UFC Saudi Arabia next month – claiming the Chechen is simply “not ready” for the task at hand of defeating him.
Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight champion, who currently holds the number three rank at 185lbs, most recently co-headlining UFC 298 back in February.
Matching with former title challenger, Paulo Costa in the pair’s reworked clash, Whittaker rebounded to the winner’s enclosure with a unanimous decision win, following a stunning knockout loss to current champion, Dricus du Plessis back in July of last year.
As for Chimaev, the unbeaten uber-prospect most recently himself co-headlined UFC 294 back in October, turning in a close, contentious majority decision win over former welterweight champion and prior pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in the pair’s short-notice clash.
And set to bring the Octagon to Riyadh for the first time in the UFC’s antiquity, Whittaker draws Chimaev in a high-stakes title eliminator at the middleweight limit.
Robert Whittaker previews Khamzat Chimaev fight
Opening as a betting underdog to beat Chimaev next month in the Middle East, Whittaker has questioned if the unbeaten challenger, who has been tipped to eventually win spoils in the promotion, is actually ready for arguably the biggest test of his Octagon tenure to date.
“I definitely think the goal – much with all of my opponents, is to go out there and just fight my fight,” Robert Whittaker told ESPN Australia. “It’s about going out there and pushing my gameplan onto him (Khamzat Chimaev), and seeing how he adjusts to me. Because I bring an arsenal of skillsets that he’s not ready for, I believe.”
“… I can wrestle with the best of them and I’ve shown and proved that,” Robert Whittaker explained. “So, I’m gonna go in there and fight my fight – fight a stand-up fight. I’m gonna see where it goes, I’m gonna drag it out – it’s a five round fight, I’ve been in plenty of those. And I’ve got no quit in me, so let’s see how this goes.”
Who wins at UFC Saudi Arabia next month: Robert Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev?