Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev‘s fight has been rescheduled again. This time, the potential bout is at UFC 308. However, it turns out the former middleweight champion was the original mastermind for this matchup. Here is what happened:
UFC CEO, Dana White recently announced the upcoming UFC 308 showdown in the Middle East. Robert Whittaker, who is part of the fight card addressed his matchup with the undefeated Chechen on his MMArcade Podcast. Whittaker revealed that it was he who had asked for the matchup in the first place.
I think the UFC story-wise wants to see Chimaev get a shot at the champion. They want to see Chimaev up at the top of the ladder…But I love disrupting their plans, I love derailing their stories. That’s why I took the fight, you know, I asked for the fight.
Robert Whittaker on MMArcade
Whittaker and Chimaev were initially scheduled to fight at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, an unexpected illness took out the Chechen. Instead, Whittaker took on Ikram Aliskerov and walked away with a first-round knockout win. However, the former champion acknowledged that Chimaev is a hard fight.
He also discussed how the Chechen was a big draw, especially in Abu Dhabi. Now, they will headline the co-main event at UFC 308 this October at the Etihad Arena In Abu Dhabi. It will be interesting to see who walks out as the potential title contender from this showdown in the United Arab Emirates.
Robert Whittaker on definite title shot after UFC 308 victory
Robert Whittaker believes that a win over Khamzat Chimaev will secure him a chance to redeem his title as the UFC middleweight champion. ‘Borz’ is currently undefeated, boasting a professional MMA record of 13 wins and 0 losses. His most recent victory was over former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.
Whittaker mentioned this possibility in the recent episode of the MMArcade podcast. He said that he was looking forward to beating ‘Borz’ and confidently claimed that nothing would stop him from claiming a title shot after he took out the undefeated Chechen.
I look forward to hard fights. I look forward to these fights. And I know that if I beat Chimaev, there is nothing in my way to getting my belt back.
Robert Whittaker on MMArcade
When Chimaev recovered he bizarrely demanded a title fight for his next showdown. There is already a middleweight title fight coming up this August between Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya. By the looks of it, the winner of Whittaker vs. Chimaev will likely position themself as the title contender against whoever walks out with the championship title at UFC 305.
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