😮💨💥Robert Whittaker is fired up for the
fight with Khamzat Chimaev“I’m going to go in there and hunt [Khamzat] down, I’m gonna take
the fight to him. I don’t think he’ll be able to stand up to
that…Advertisement
I hope he’s ready, because I am.“
🎥 @KevinI ▫️
pic.twitter.com/umG7we7fpb— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 19, 2024
Robert
Whittaker (26-7) plans to take the fight to Khamzat
Chimaev (13-0) in their upcoming matchup at UFC
308.
Whittaker and Chimaev will clash in the co-main event at UFC 308 on
Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. They were originally
scheduled to meet at
UFC Saudi Arabia this past June, but Chimaev pulled out due to
severe illness. Whittaker went on beat short-notice replacement
Ikram
Aliskerov via knockout in the first round. Aliskerov’s only
other pro loss dates back to 2019 against Chimaev, who called him
the toughest matchup of his life so far.
Although Dana White has promised the next middleweight title shot
to Sean
Strickland, the winner of the UFC 308 matchup between Whittaker
and Chimaev could receive the gold bid after Strickland. Going into
arguably one of the toughest fights of his career, Whittaker plans
to hunt down his opponent, who is known for his constant pressuring
style. But “Bobby Knuckles” believes the Chechen-born Swede won’t
be able to withstand the pressure that he vows to impose. Also
boasting one of the best takedown defenses in the history of the
middleweight division, Whittaker is confident he can deal with
Chimaev’s elite grappling. “The Reaper” also hinted that he has an
advantage in a five rounder against Chimaev.
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“I definitely like the faith in my striking ability and the fact
that I’m gonna go in there and I’m gonna hunt [Khamzat] down. I’m
gonna take the fight to him,” Whittaker recently told Kevin Iole.
“I don’t think he’ll be able to stand up to that. I don’t think my
wrestling defense and the caliber of my striking is going to give
him an easy night. I can also fight from the first second through
to the 25th minute. So I hope he’s ready, because I am.“
Whittaker has recorded back-to-back victories since suffering a TKO
loss to current champ Dricus Du
Plessis in a title eliminator at UFC 290 last year. Meanwhile,
Chimaev has finished five of his seven UFC wins and comes off a
majority decision win over Kamaru
Usman in his middleweight debut at UFC 294 last year.