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Robert Whittaker welcomes fight following call out from Khamzat Chimaev: ‘Cool, let’s do it. Whatever’

UFC, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev Former undisputed UFC middleweight champion has welcomed a heralded “good guy versus bad guy” matchup against undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev for his next Octagon outing – in typical, coy and reserved fashion from the fan favorite contender. Whittaker, a former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, currently boasts the #2 rank in the official 185lbs pile, […]

Former undisputed UFC middleweight champion has welcomed a heralded “good guy versus bad guy” matchup against undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev for his next Octagon outing – in typical, coy and reserved fashion from the fan favorite contender.

Whittaker, a former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, currently boasts the #2 rank in the official 185lbs pile, most recently featuring in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night Paris back in September of last year, rebounding to the winner’s enclosure in a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori.

Earlier that year, Whittaker headlined UFC 271 against former undisputed champion, Israel Adesanya, suffering a unanimous decision loss of his own in the pair’s championship rematch.

As for Chimaev, the unbeaten #3 ranked welterweight contender, has yet to return to the Octagon since he co-headlined UFC 279 back in September to boot, landing a one-sided first round D’Arce choke win over Kevin Holland.

Linked with a potential title-eliminator against Colby Covington or Belal Muhammad next, AllStars MMA staple, Chimaev has since welcomed a fight with New Zealand-born favorite, Whittaker.

“I think I will fight Robert Whittaker,” Khamzat Chimaev said. “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.”

Robert Whittaker remains coy on potential fight with Khamzat Chimaev

Reacting to Chimaev’s claims that he will fight him next, former champion, Whittaker remained receptive to the call out, in rather coy fashion, however.

“Oh yeah, cool,” Robert Whittaker said of the fight during an interview with Submission Radio. “Let’s do it. Whatever. Yeah, I don’t know. Like, if it’s a fight that gets presented to me, then it is what it is. Yeah, I think it’d be a good fight. I think he’d (Khamzat Chimaev) be a hard fight. I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. I think he has a lot of strengths. I think I have a lot of strengths. I think I’m a hard fighter for him just the same.”

“And I’m quite good with my hands, can stuff a lot of takedowns,” Robert Whittaker continued. “I’m hard to hold down – I’m squirmy, you see. Yeah, it’ll be an interesting fight. That’ll be a showstopper for sure. I’m sure it’ll get a lot people interested and excited.”

Khamzat Chimaev claims Colby Covington went “running”, wants Robert Whittaker fight

Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev says Colby Covington didn’t want to fight him. Instead, the Russian star has his eyes set on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. During a recent Red Corner MMA video, Chimaev called out Colby Covington for “running” away from a fight. Covington and Chimaev have been linked in a potential scrap but no […]

Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev says Colby Covington didn’t want to fight him. Instead, the Russian star has his eyes set on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

During a recent Red Corner MMA video, Chimaev called out Colby Covington for “running” away from a fight. Covington and Chimaev have been linked in a potential scrap but no official fight has been made. Covington last fought at UFC 272, where he defeated Jorge Masvidal. Since then, he’s been quiet while in a legal matter stemming from a physical altercation with Masvidal in Miami.

Chimaev believes he’s next in line for the 170-pound belt. Leon Edwards will defend his UFC welterweight title in a trilogy fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in London.

“I have no clue, either. At first, they said it was Colby Covington,” Chimaev said. “We’ve been waiting for half a year. It looks like he doesn’t want it. They all call me out, but as soon as the UFC tries to make the fight, they start running. I think it’s going to be the winner of [Kamaru] Usman vs. [Leon] Edwards III, whoever takes it will face me.”

Khamzat Chimaev Wants A Shot Against A Former UFC Champion

The 28-year-old also has his eyes set for a return to the middleweight division. He shared that Robert Whittaker would be a suitable opponent. Chimaev hasn’t fought at 185 pounds since Sept. 2020.

“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.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

Chimaev holds a 12-0 undefeated record. His last octagon appearance was in September at UFC 279, where he beat Kevin Holland by first-round submission.

Khamzat Chimaev Changes Tune On Possible Robert Whittaker Fight

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev appears to have had a change of heart regarding a possible fight against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Currently, Chimaev sits at #3 in the welterweight rankings and is seemingly close to a potential title shot…

Continue Reading Khamzat Chimaev Changes Tune On Possible Robert Whittaker Fight at MMA News.

Khamzat Chimaev believes Robert Whittaker is next for him: “I will fight Whittaker. I want this fight.”

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 […]

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.

UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev brings Ramzan Kadyrov’s son to train at Tiger Muay Thai

Continuing his much-criticized allegiance with Chechnya dictator and sanctioned leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, unbeaten UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has been pictured training at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand – alongside 1-0 mixed martial arts fighter, Ali Kadyrov – the dictator’s teenage son. Chimaev, who currently boasts an undefeated 12-0 professional record, also holds the […]

Chimaev, who currently boasts an undefeated 12-0 professional record, also holds the #3 rank in the official welterweight pile.

Slated to headline UFC 279 back in September of last year, the Chechen-born contender was expected to fight promotional veteran, Nate Diaz, however, he missed the welterweight non-title weight limit by a staggering seven and a half pounds, halting the headliner.

As a result, Chimaev would draw Kevin Holland at the T-Mobile Arena event, improving his undefeated run to 12 straight fights courtesy of a one-sided first round D’Arce choke victory.

And in the immediate aftermath of his win over Riverside striker, Holland, Khamzat Chimaev’s staggering weight skew was defended by the aforenoted Chechen warlord, Kadyrov.

Khamzat Chimaev continues his allegiance with Chechnya leader, Ramzan Kadyrov

This week, in the AllStars MMA staple’s latest show of approval and allegiance to Kadyrov, Chimaev, who cornered the aforenoted 1-0 Ali Kadyrov for his professional mixed martial arts debut last year, brought the latter to Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong to train.

“UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has taken Ramzan Kadyrov’s 15-year-old son, Ali, to train with him at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand,” Bloody Elbow reporter, Karim Zidan tweeted. “Took an entourage of Kadyrov-affiliated fighters as well.”

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has taken Ramzan Kadyrov's 15-year-old son, Ali, to train with him at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand. Took an entourage of Kadyrov-affiliated fighters as well. pic.twitter.com/w7g5Y1EJE8

— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) January 30, 2023

6-0 in the UFC since his tenure with the organization began in July 2020, prior to his submission win over Holland, Chimaev managed to land a close, unanimous decision win over former welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns in Florida.

Chimaev has been forced the distance once in professional mixed martial arts, scoring six knockout wins to go with a further five submission victories.

‘I Didn’t Trust Myself Enough’ – Kamaru Usman Reveals How Khamzat Chimaev Loss Was Eye-Opening For Him

Kamaru Usman last fought in the UFC in October 2023 against Khamzat Chimaev. “Borz” absolutely dominated the first, as he had Usman’s back for the most part and was either landing unanswered shots or trying for submissions. The former UFC welterweight champion bounced back in the second and third rounds, though. He won several striking […]

Continue Reading ‘I Didn’t Trust Myself Enough’ – Kamaru Usman Reveals How Khamzat Chimaev Loss Was Eye-Opening For Him at MMA News.

The former UFC welterweight champion bounced back in the second and third rounds, though. He won several striking exchanges and didn’t allow his opponent to do anything effective with takedowns.

As fans around the world eagerly wait for his return, Usman revealed his learnings from his last fight and why it wasn’t a five-rounder…

Kamaru Usman Missed The Opportunity To Make Khamzat Chimaev Fight A Five-Rounder Due To Lack Of Confidence

Usman discussed his last loss to Chimaev on the Weighing In podcast, hosted by John McCarthy and Josh Thomson. Right away, “Nigerian Nightmare” remembered that he had lost a close decision to Leon Edwards six months earlier and was stepping in to fight on 10 days’ notice.

“That was the issue. And that’s why Trevor, my coach Trevor Wittman tells me all the time that I’m one of the best, if not the best, at building in a fight and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t trust myself and my abilities because that fight, it could’ve been a five-rounder.”

Even though he had fought in 10 consecutive five-round UFC fights at this point, Usman avoided asking the promotion to make the Chimaev fight a five-rounder too. This was primarily because he didn’t trust his ability to withstand a 25-minute bout without a proper camp.

However, Usman admitted to not being satisfied with the decision loss to Chimaev. This was an eye-opening moment for him, as he made sure to trust himself again. He also looked back at his coach Trevor Wittman’s remarks who proudly claims Usman to be one of the best in getting better in fights over time.

“I wasn’t training as I would be if I had a fight and I went through a camp and so, with that being said that, I didn’t trust myself in that sense. So then you get in a fight and I realize I haven’t fought a three-round fight in, I don’t remember last time I fought a three-round fight. So, I’ve built myself up to get in a position to where you can build over the course of five rounds. And so now that it’s not that, it was very very difficult for me to be okay with that result.”

From the looks of it, Usman has had enough time to rejuvenate physically and mentally after losing the UFC welterweight championship. In his return, he might fight for the title again or aim to avenge his loss to Chimaev in a five-rounder.

READ MORE: ‘I’ve Essentially Had Two Camps For This Guy’ – Robert Whittaker Lays Down Confident Plan To Get Past Khamzat Chimaev And Fight For UFC Middleweight Gold

Continue Reading ‘I Didn’t Trust Myself Enough’ – Kamaru Usman Reveals How Khamzat Chimaev Loss Was Eye-Opening For Him at MMA News.