"I've got no quit in me" - Robert Whittaker explains why he isn't worried about Khamzat Chimaev's grappling prowess
Robert Whittaker is too experienced and too driven to be wary of Khamzat Chimaev's superior wrestling and grappling. The former UFC middleweight champion recently sat down with ESPN Australia for an interview, which has since made the rounds on YouTube.
'The Reaper' expressed no fear of 'Borz's' powerful wrestling, which is often its strongest in round one, when Chimaev is unencumbered by tiredness. It is for this reason that Whittaker is intent on dragging his foe to deep waters, having already seen him gasp for air in three-rounder affairs.
"I think the surest way to victory is to go in there, obviously not play to his strengths, which is not engaging in the wrestle, but not be afraid of it. I can wrestle with the best of them and I've shown and proved that."
It is Whittaker's belief that his own wrestling skills should not be underestimated, as they've enabled him to win gold at national tournaments and competitions in Australia. Furthermore, they served him well against Olympic silver medalist freestyle wrestler, Yoel Romero.
"So, I'm going to go in there, I'm going to fight my fight. I'm going to fight a standup fight, I'm going to see where it goes, I'm going to drag it out. It's a five-round fight. I've been in plenty of those and I've got no quit in me."
Check out Robert Whittaker's take on Khamzat Chimaev's strengths (4:09):
Whittaker and Chimaev will headline the promotion's first card in Saudi Arabia, UFC on ABC 6. It is set for June 22, and the card features several noteworthy fights. Power-punching heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich takes on fellow Russian Alexander Volkov.
Meanwhile, Johnny Walker squares off against Volkan Oezedemir. Additionally, welterweights Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez will also lock horns.
Khamzat Chimaev was once hesitant to face Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker presents the greatest threat to Khamzat Chimaev's dream of staying undefeated. While they are now scheduled for the main event of the UFC Saudi Arabia card, Chimaev wasn't always interested in a bout, once reasoning at the UFC 279 post-fight press conference that Whittaker was too nice.
"I like that guy, so... I don't want to fight the good guys, you know? I need some bad guy."
Check out Khamzat Chimaev dismiss a fight with Robert Whittaker (12:08):
'The Reaper' is often regarded as one of the nicer fighters on the roster, having never engaged in trash talk or been found at the center of controversy. He is known to maintain a friendly disposition, and the only fighter with whom he has had some enmity was Israel Adesanya, who has issues with most middleweights.