Robert Whittaker will take on Khamzat Chimaev later this year at UFC 308. The middleweight matchup will have serious title implications. Whittaker has the merit of his winning streak and recent activity. Meanwhile, Chimaev is undefeated and has a huge fanbase. Chimaev will look to put away Whittaker as early as possible. However, Gerald Meerschaert doesn’t think anything like that happens.
Meerschaert fought Khamzat Chimaev in 2020 and faced a brutal KO loss in seventeen seconds. Since then, the ‘Borz’ has won four more fights showcasing his striking and wrestling skills. While talking about the upcoming fight, Meerschaert mentioned that Whittaker is the first ever proper middleweight to fight Chimaev. The fighter revealed that the Aussie could create serious problems for the Chechen star.
I think he gets the better end of the feet and then it’s just the matter of if Khamzat can take him down and I don’t know if that’s gonna be possible….A healthy Robert Whittaker is gonna be a very very tough test.
Gerald Meerschaert via Inside Fighting
Meerschaert gave examples of Khamzat Chimaev struggling against the striking of Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. Similarly, Meerschaert believed Chimaev didn’t look good against a short-notice opponent in Kamaru Usman, which was a sign of his inability. While all these observations make sense, no one can deny the sheer pace and dominance Chimaev brings in his fights.
The fight between Chimaev and Whittaker was previously scheduled at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year. However, due to illness, Chimaev couldn’t participate. Now, the Chechen fighter is fully recovered and is looking intense in his training video. Chimaev is hungry for a win, and Whittaker is well prepared for everything his opponent can throw.
Robert Whittaker wrestles like ‘animal’ to prepare for Khamzat Chimaev’s fight
After Khamzat Chimaev pulled out, Robert Whittaker was given Ikram Aliserov, who he took without any hassle. It was a risky move, but the former middleweight champion proved himself by knocking out Aliserov in the first round. The win extended his winning streak, giving him massive momentum and confidence.
Robert Whittaker sharpens his wrestling ahead of Khamzat Chimaev fight (via Imago)Ahead of UFC 308, Robert Whittaker has great conviction in his training. The Aussie fighter has claimed to have two training camps for Chimaev. ‘Bobby Knuckles’ in a recent interview, talked about the wrestling threat around Chimaev and how hard he’s training to face it.
I know Chimaev is a good wrestler. If he beats me, dominates me wrestling and I have done everything in the book. No stone unturned, then what do you do? But I’m training like an animal right now on the mats. I’m sweating and bleeding and leaving it all there.
Robert Whittaker via MMA Arcade Podcast
This fight was originally the co-main event of UFC 308 but now has been bumped down a spot. There is a chance that this was just a technical error from the UFC. Chimaev or Whittaker has yet to make any comments about the recent developments. Nevertheless, the fight card has fans super hyped to watch it. It would be interesting to see who comes out as the winner between Chimaev and Whittaker.
!
