The UFC middleweight division has been one of the most volatile divisions in the roster. Fans have seen four different champions in the span of the last 16 months. Going forward, Dana White has announced the clash between the top middleweights Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. The much-anticipated fight is set to take place at UFC 308. However, the stakes are quite underwhelming.
After the fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev was announced, many thought it was the title eliminator. Both fighters are on a winning momentum and remain one win away from securing a title shot. However, according to UFC CEO Dana White, former champion Sean Strickland deserves the spot more than anybody else.
Sean Strickland, right now is the number one ranked middleweight in the world and the answer is yes.
Dana White via The Jim Rome Show
Sean Strickland lost his UFC middleweight championship to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. ‘Tarzan’ was dissatisfied with the loss and accused the judges of robbing him of a win. Although Strickland bounced back by defeating Paulo Costa earlier this year, he decided to wait for the title shot. It seems like his demands have been accepted by the UFC head honcho.
On the other hand, Whittaker and Chimaev were supposed to fight each other at the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia. However, due to Chimaev’s illness, the fight was scrapped. The Aussie ended up fighting Ikram Aliserov and knocking him out in the first round. Whittaker is currently in red-hot form to get his title shot. Unfortunately, he might not have that much time left in the fighting business.
Robert Whittaker predicts his retirement in the upcoming few years
Robert Whittaker got his hands on the interim UFC middleweight championship after defeating Yoel Romero at UFC 213. Later, he was promoted to become the undisputed champion. However, his title reign was cut short by a hungry Israel Adesanya at UFC 243. The ‘Reaper’ did get an opportunity to take his revenge against Izzy in 2022 when he failed again.
Robert Whittaker (via Imago)Currently, the Aussie fighter is on a two-fight win streak and is eager to win the belt again. Whittaker is 34 years old and doesn’t seem to stick around for a long time. In a recent interview with the legendary Demetrious Johnson, Whittaker talked about his retirement.
I’m thinking about wrapping it up around 36 that’s two and half years because I feel like 36 is a good age like really have a solid crack at something else that I wanna do.
Robert Whittaker via Demetrius Johnson’s YouTube channel
Whittaker will closely watch this weekend’s UFC pay-per-view event, UFC 305, taking place in his backyard in Australia. Current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is scheduled to defend his title against Israel Adesanya. According to Whittaker, Izzy is still mentally affected by his last loss, which could affect his performance this Saturday.
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