Khamzat Chimaev | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Sean Strickland nearly fought Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia before booking Paulo Costa fight at UFC 302

Sean Strickland nearly fought Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia before booking Paulo Costa fight at UFC 302 Before Sean Strickland booked his June 1 clash with Paulo Costa, the UFC was looking to book a bout…

Before Sean Strickland booked his June 1 clash with Paulo Costa, the UFC was looking to book a bout between the former middleweight world champion and undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland’s coach, Eric Nicksick, told James Lynch during a recent interview that the promotion was targeting a fight between the two at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 before pivoting to Costa. According to Nicksick, the fight was scrapped due to travel-related issues on Strickland’s side.

“I know they [UFC] were hoping for maybe Khamzat, but I don’t think Sean can travel to Saudi Arabia or something; I’m not 100% sure,” Nicksick said. “But I know Khamzat’s name was possibly kicked around. Khamzat is going to be a big draw in Saudi, and that fight is more about location than it was about the opponent, in my opinion” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Instead, Khamzat Chimaev will face Robert Whittaker when the UFC makes its promotional debut inside Kingdom Arena in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh next month.

Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa Desperately Seeking a Win at UFC 302

Three weeks before ‘Borz’ steps back inside the Octagon, UFC 302 will emanate from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey with a one-two punch of can’t-miss fights — chief among them being a massive lightweight world title headliner pitting reigning and defending 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev against division staple Dustin Poirier.

In the co-main event, fans will see Sean Strickland look to bounce back after surrendering the middleweight strap to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Standing in Strickland’s way of a return to the win column will be Paulo Costa, a Brazilian star determined to climb his way back into the title picture after falling short against Robert Whittaker in February.

Costa’s last win inside the Octagon came in August 2022 during an oddly entertaining scrap with another former 185-pound titleholder, Luke Rockhold.

Robert Whittaker warns Khamzat Chimaev pre-Saudi Arabia clash: ‘I bring an arsenal of skills he’s not ready for’

Former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has issued a stark reminder of his ability to incoming foe, Khamzat Chimaev…

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.

Robert Whittaker confirms plans to fight at UFC 299 in March after call out from Paulo Costa — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

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.

Robert Whittaker plans to dismantle Dricus du Plessis he makes it a yucky fight UFC 290 — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

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?

Bo Nickal confident he would ‘ragdoll’ Khamzat Chimaev in potential middleweight clash

Bo Nickal can’t see Khamzat Chimaev hanging with him inside the Octagon — especially in a five-round fight. Making…

Bo Nickal can’t see Khamzat Chimaev hanging with him inside the Octagon — especially in a five-round fight.

Making his third appearance for the promotion at UFC 300, Nickal was dragged beyond the first round for the first time in his career. Still, the result was the same as the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion dispatched his opponent, Cody Brundage, via rear-naked choke in the latter half of the second stanza.

Sitting at 6-0 in his mixed martial arts career, it’ll be a while before we see Nickal squaring off with anyone sniffing around the middleweight top 10, but that won’t stop the former Nittany Lion from looking ahead. Particularly when it comes to the undefeated Chechen monster, Khamzat Chimaev.

Nickal has had his sights set on a scrap with ‘Borz’ since scoring his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Perhaps one day we’ll see how that plays out. For now, we’ll just have to live with Nickal’s prediction of how things could potentially play out between the two world-class wrestlers.

“I think I would do similarly to him what I did to this last guy,” Nickal said during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani “[I would] take him down, ragdoll him, throw him around. He’s not a big 85er, he gets tired. Is his first round gonna be a little more competitive? Probably, but if that fight is five rounds I don’t think he makes it five rounds.

“Will it be tough in the beginning? Is he gonna come at it? Absolutely, but I don’t think he’s going to be able to hurt me or do anything that inflicts so much damage that I’m not going to be able to widen the gap on him as the fight continues.”

Khamzat Chimaev meets Robert Whittaker in a high-stakes scrap in Saudi Arabia

Currently, Khamzat Chimaev is gearing up for what will be the biggest test of his career thus far. Returning to the Octagon on Saturday, June 22, ‘Borz’ will headline the UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia, squaring off with former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia

After kickstarting his UFC career with three wins in eight weeks, Chimaev’s appearances have been few and far between. He last fought at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi where he earned a majority decision over short-notice opponent Kamaru Usman. The victory came more than a year removed from his UFC 279 debacle that saw him go from fighting Nate Diaz to competing against Kevin Holland in the span of 24 hours.

Israel Adesanya wants to ‘test out’ Khamzat Chimaev if he gets past Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia

If Khamzat Chimaev can get past Robert Whittaker this summer, a fight with former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya…

If Khamzat Chimaev can get past Robert Whittaker this summer, a fight with former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya may be in his future.

On Saturday, June 22, ‘Borz’ will face his first true test at 185 when he meets one of the division’s most respected ex-champions. The Reaper’ is fresh off a big win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 and is potentially one W away from another crack at the middleweight crown.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, ‘The Last Stylebender’ declared that if Chimaev offers up an impressive showing against Whittaker, He might be enticed to sign on the dotted line for a showdown with the undefeated Chechen monster.

“If Khamzat [Chimaev] beats Rob [Whittaker], I want to test that,” Adesanya said.

Of course, Khamzat Chimaev isn’t the only middleweight on Adesanya’s radar. The New Zealander still intends on settling the score with the man who took his 185-pound strap in September — Sean Strickland.

“I’m gonna get Strickland again,” Adesanya added. “Definitely gonna get him again.“

Above all, Israel Adesanya has some business to handle with Dricus Du Plessis

Before Israel Adesanya handles business with Chimaev and Strickland, he’ll be tasked with taking out South African superstar and reigning middleweight champ, Dricus Du Plessis.

DDP and the ‘Stylebender’ appeared to be on a collision course ever since an uncomfortable staredown following Du Plessis’ win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

However, those plans were dashed when Strickland delivered a dominant performance against Adesanya to win the middleweight title at UFC 293 in September. Since then, Strickland has surrendered the belt to DDP, once again putting the Du Plessis and Adesanya on a path of destruction.

When and where Du Plessis vs. Adesanya goes down is yet to be determined, but with Chimaev vs. Whittaker and now Strickland vs. Costa expected to go down over the next couple of months, things are going to get very interesting at the top of a loaded middleweight division.

Check out Israel Adesanya’s full appearance on The MMA Hour below:

Israel Adesanya wants to ‘test out’ Khamzat Chimaev if he gets past Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia

If Khamzat Chimaev can get past Robert Whittaker this summer, a fight with former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya…

If Khamzat Chimaev can get past Robert Whittaker this summer, a fight with former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya may be in his future.

“If Khamzat [Chimaev] beats Rob [Whittaker], I want to test that,” Adesanya said.

“I’m gonna get Strickland again,” Adesanya added. “Definitely gonna get him again.“

Above all, Israel Adesanya has some business to handle with Dricus Du Plessis

Before Israel Adesanya handles business with Chimaev and Strickland, he’ll be tasked with taking out South African superstar and reigning middleweight champ, Dricus Du Plessis.

DDP and the ‘Stylebender’ appeared to be on a collision course ever since an uncomfortable staredown following Du Plessis’ win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

Check out Israel Adesanya’s full appearance on The MMA Hour below:

Khamzat Chimaev calls for UFC Saudi Arabia clash with Robert Whittaker to be first ever 10 round fight

Unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has called for his June return against former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC…

Unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has called for his June return against former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia to feature the first-ever 10 round limit bout, between himself and the fan-favorite striker.

Chimaev, the current number eleven ranked middleweight challenger, improved to 13-0 as a professional last October in Abu Dhabi, turning in a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and prior pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in a short-notice clash.

Robert Whittaker vows to flog next opponent in UFC return — Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC

And as for Whittaker, the Auckland-born contender returned from his summer knockout loss to current champion, Dricus du Plessis last summer with a February decision win over ex-title challenger, Paulo Costa.

Khamzat Chimaev calls for 10 round limit for fight with Robert Whittaker

In a now-deleted post on his official X account, Chimaev urged promotional boss, Dana White to book him the first-ever 10 round bout in the history of the organization against Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Michael Bisping issues warning to Khamzat Chimaev over UFC Saudi Arabia main event he always gasses — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“10 rounds let’s go first ever time let’s do it @ufc @danawhite,” Khamzat Chimaev posted on his official X account. (H/T @ChampRDS)

Struggling through the second round onwards amid a hang ligament injury suffered against Usman paired with apparent fatigue, Chimaev has already been warned about the potential of him “gassing” out against Whittaker in June by Hall of Fame star, Michael Bisping – even before he called for a 10 round fight.

“Automatically, if you’re in the corner of Khamzat Chimaev, you’ve got to be concerned,” Michael Bisping said. “One thing Robert Whittaker is not going to do is run out of gas. He’s a very, very experienced fighter, fighting at the highest level for a long time. Without getting into the Xs and Os, the obvious things is Khamzat always gasses.”

Khamzat Chimaev rules out UFC 300 return amid links to title fight I'm not fighting during Ramadan — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

“He’s a tremendous force of nature, the way he takes people down and dominates them right from the opening bell,” Bisping explained. “He did the same thing against Kamaru Usman. Granted, didn’t get the finish, but he definitely did slow down. Against Gilbert Burns, same thing. He had a great round one, [rounds] two and three were kind of close. Five rounds against somebody like Robert Whittaker, if he can’t finish him early, that could be a disastrous night for him in Saudi Arabia.”

Who wins at UFC Saudi Arabia in June: Robert Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev?