Robert Whittaker makes his opinion clear on who deserves the next UFC middleweight title shot between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland
Robert Whittaker last entered the octagon in October, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. He recently claimed his former opponent is more deserving of a title shot than Sean Strickland.
Championship Rounds shared 'The Reaper's' comments from his podcast, MMArcade, writing on X:
"Robert Whittaker believes Khamzat Chimaev should get the next title shot over Sean Strickland: "I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus. I don't think sitting out should be rewarded, ever." [via. @MMArcadePodcast] #UFC #MMA"
Check out the X post from Championship Rounds below:
Chimaev became the first opponent to finish 'The Reaper' in the first round since Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson did so in the 170-pound division at UFC 170 in 2014.
Meanwhile, Strickland last entered the octagon in June, defeating Paulo Costa via a five-round split decision. He previously faced Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, losing the bout and the middleweight title via split decision.
'Stillknocks' noted that he prefers to face Chimaev due to his star power and talent level. It is unclear which direction the UFC will go or when the champion is targeting his return.
Robert Whittaker praises Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling ability
Robert Whittaker walked away from his UFC 308 clash feeling very impressed with his opponent's wrestling ability. Speaking on his MMArcade Podcast, the No.4-ranked middleweight praised Khamzat Chimaev for his ground game, stating:
"Within seconds of the fight starting, I felt real comfortable standing with him. Like, real comfortable, but then the dude drops to like a millimeter - how do you stop that takedown, guy? And understandably, it's like, we did a lot of wrestling, we did a lot of stuff, we did a lot of wall work, but mate, it's so hard to replicate that sort of takedown, that sort of commitment. And you know, props to him. The guy knows his strengths and played into them to a T and is willing to burn it all there for it."
Check out Robert Whittaker's comments on Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling below:
Chimaev had virtually no trouble against the former middleweight champion. He took the fight to the ground immediately before picking up the first-round submission. Whittaker suffered a gruesome injury to his teeth during the face crank finish, ultimately requiring surgery.