Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker aim to finish their UFC 308 fight inside five rounds
Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev stayed on the same page about trying to finish their UFC 308 fight before the stipulated 25 minutes. Both middleweights had similar answers to a reporter's question at the pre-UFC 308 press conference.
The UFC had initially booked the Whittaker vs. Chimaev showdown for their first-ever event in Saudi Arabia, held on June 22 this year. However, 'Borz' had to pull out of the fight after falling severely ill which also got him hospitalized.
Instead, Whittaker took on Ikram Aliskerov and knocked him out in the first round of the fight. 'The Reaper' also earned another victory against Paulo Costa at UFC 298 this year.
Whittaker was the initial one who answered the reporter's question about finishing the fight within 25 minutes. He said:
"Man, I'll try. He has 25 mins with me, I have 25 mins with him, you know. And I'm gonna leave it all there."
But Chimaev looked even more confident about being able to finish their fight despite his one-year-long hiatus. He stated:
"I don't think so, [that] we need 25 [mins]. I'm here to finish somebody man, I'm here to fight."
Check out Robert Whittaker's and Khamzat Chimaev's answers below (9:18):
Robert Whittaker had a befitting answer for reporter's unusual question
Apart from the in-octagon violence, Whittaker is reputed as a pretty humble person. But after attending tens of pre-fight press conferences, he has learned the technique to even handle the most unusual questions pretty casually.
On the pre-UFC 308 media day, a Russian reporter came up with a rather uncanny question for 'The Reaper'. He asked:
"By physicality, he's [Chimaev's] a very uncomfortable opponent. He's tall, he's a really good wrestler. I'm looking right now at your team and I don't see anybody who can replicate him [to train with]. How do you feel about that? [via translator]"
Whittaker took a moment to think and then answered the question after a chuckle:
"I train with tall guys at home. I just didn't bring them with me."
Check out the conversation between Robery Whittaker and the reporter below (12:19):