Robert Whittaker opens up about upcoming Khamzat Chimaev bout, claims he asked for it
Robert Whittaker recently opened up about his upcoming bout against Khamzat Chimaev, which is scheduled to take place at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. He claimed that the bout was actually his idea and explained the reasoning behind his decision.
The former UFC middleweight champion is coming off an incredible performance at UFC Saudi Arabia, where he earned a first round knockout win over Ikram Aliskerov. The win was significant as it was his second consecutive win and inserted his name back into the title picture at 185 pounds.
Championship Rounds tweeted a clip from 'Bobby Knuckles' MMArcade Podcast, where he detailed how the bout against 'Borz' materialized for UFC 308. Whittaker mentioned that Chimaev is a tough opponent that the promotion has high hopes for and expressed interest in derailing his hype. He said:
"[Khamzat] Chimaev is a hard fight. He's obviously a big draw especially over there in Abu Dhabi...and 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."
Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below:
Robert Whittaker believes a win over Khamzat Chimaev will secure him a title shot
Robert Whittaker appears to be optimistic that a win over Khamzat Chimaev will secure him a middleweight title shot.
The top-ranked middleweights were originally scheduled to headline UFC Saudi Arabia, but 'Borz' was forced to withdraw as a result of an illness and was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov. Chimaev comes into the fight with an unbeaten 13-0 MMA record that includes his most recent win over Kamaru Usman.
During the aforementioned clip, Whittaker mentions that he is eager to fight Chimaev and mentioned that he believes a win should be enough to earn the next title shot. He said:
"I look forward to hard fights. I look forward to these fights. And I know that if I beat [Khamzat] Chimaev, there is nothing in my way to getting my belt back."
Check out Dana White's announcement regarding UFC 308 below: