Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev belong to the upper echelon of the UFC Middleweight division. With the duo set to clash at UFC 308, there is an evident buzz in the MMA community regarding the bout’s outcome. “I asked for the fight. It wasn’t offered to me!” said ‘The Reaper’ about this fight against the Russian native. The question looms over this demand and the possibilities for Whittaker’s career if he comes up short in the clash. But this is exactly what ‘Bobby Knuckles’ has always been about! Testing his skills against the most ferocious and delivering when it matters most.

Moreover, a win in his column against an undefeated Chimaev would surge his stock enough to be next in contention for division gold. Interestingly, the duo was set to clash earlier this year in June at UFC on ABC. However, ‘The Chechen Wolf’ pulled out after falling ill, a symphony attached to his name ever since the pandemic. As the two contenders have their eyes set on the title, how will the fight go down? According to Ilia Topuria, the bout is a heavy mismatch for the Australian native. The Featherweight king has put his dollar on Chimaev to go over. 

Ilia Topuria supports ‘Borz’ over Robert Whittaker for UFC 308

The main event of 308 is expected to be a barn-burner as reigning champion Ilia Topuria is set to take on perennial contender Max Holloway for the division gold. The Spanish native put the MMA community on notice as he dismantled Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. Following the same curve, ‘El Matador’ has chosen ‘Borz’ to go over against ‘The Reaper’ in their upcoming clash. According to a post by MMA Orbit, ‘El Matador’ said, “Chimaev is going to crush him. That’s what I think. I like Whittaker, but he’ll crush him. Khamzat’s a beast.”

This prediction has garnered considerable buzz as Whittaker has reinvented himself and is on a two-fight winning course against top contenders like Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov. Meanwhile, Chimaev has not stepped into the Octagon ever since his last victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. However, the prediction cannot be considered an unpopular opinion owing to Chimaev’s stellar record and his sheer dominance in the cage. 

🗣️ “Chimaev is going to crush him. That’s what I think. I like Whittaker, but he’ll really crush him. Khamzat’s a beast.”

Ilia Topuria is backing Khamzat Chimaev to “crush” Robert Whittaker at #UFC308. 😳

[per @Topuriailia / IG Live] pic.twitter.com/hIiy2OhgvS

— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 3, 2024

Nonetheless, the Middleweight is finally looking to resume his fighting duties and is training vigorously for the upcoming bout. He even went to the extent of training in Prielbrusye, Russia, at an altitude of 1850 meters ahead of the fight. It looks like Chimaev is going back to the basics with a high-altitude fight camp. Let’s take a look at what else ‘Borz’ is doing which might make Topuria’s prediction come true.

Khamzat Chimaev made huge changes to prevent incessant withdrawals from fights

The MMA community has been worried and wary of Chimaev’s health concerns in the past. It has been in large part an after-effect of the Covid pandemic that almost forced ‘The Chechen Wolf’ to retire from the sport altogether. Additionally, the frequency with which Chimaev usually goes about with his camps has been quite vigorous. It seems the man has finally mended his ways and is looking to remix things ahead of UFC 308. 

Red Corner MMA uploaded a video on 18 September showcasing how Chimaev bonded with his first wrestling coach. He talked about his health and explained what was happening earlier. He said in the video, “Yes, but then I ended up in hospital like the last time when I was in hospital. Three times in a row within three weeks. My immune system went down, I got sick. Now I use a better approach. I work with good coaches. Salim [Noutsalkhanov] raised a lot of world champions. He also trained Buvaisar Satiev for the Beijing Olympics. With people like that, I am going to take a big step forward.”

Having refined his training regimen, Chimaev is now able to balance intense workouts with adequate recovery. This strategic approach has helped him revitalize his performance and prepare in a better way for the upcoming challenges in his way. The MMA community is expecting the middleweight contender to showcase his previous dominant self and reiterate his claim as the best in the world. Will we finally see ‘Borz’ return to his former self? Does he have the tools to neutralize the offense of ‘The Reaper’? Do you think Ilia Topuria’s prediction will come true? How will this fight go down at UFC 308? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.