Khamzat Chimaev is closer than ever to Middleweight gold and a lot is at stake. Robert Whittaker is a pretty well-rounded fighter and winning against him would mean a direct shot at the middleweight title. However, during the pre-fight presser before UFC 308, Chimaev was humble and declared that he was looking forward to fighting against a capable combatant like ‘The Reaper.’

However, the fans are not so humble and have been having a debate on Reddit, on who will win and who is stronger among the two. In one such heated debate, one follower posted a face-off between the duo, with both posing with their fists against each other. The follower said that ‘Borz’ has huge fists that pack a powerful punch. Now. this is important but sometimes, of little consequence. Remember Conor McGregor boasting his fists were bigger than Floyd Mayweather’s head? How did that fight turn out?

To Whittaker’s caution, the last time Chimaev fought a natural middleweight, Gerald Meerschaert, he knocked him out inside just 17 seconds with a powerful right cross. So regardless of fist size, the Chechen star brings the heat.

However even though the fan thinks that Chimaev has bigger fists and therefore has a better chance of winning, UFC CEO Dana White is of a different thought process. While talking to the media the boss emphasised that the winner of this match will be in a very comfortable position in the middleweight category. He also added that it is going to be tough for both fighters. He said, “You know, this is a tough fight for both of these guys. So, whoever comes out of this fight as the winner is in a very, very good position—you couldn’t be in a better position being the guy who wins this fight.”

Chimaev indeed has a powerful wrestling style that lets him dominate the players on the ground. He has a takedown accuracy of 65% and is adept at grappling. But Whittaker has been successful in defeating elite grapplers like Yoel Romero and Ronaldo Souza. Apart from that, Rob is also an amazing striker. However, the fans have a new comparison and debate going on about who has the bigger fists, and they even put substantial evidence to the argument.

Fans debate on whether Khamzat Chimaev has bigger fists than Robert Whittaker

Both fighters are well-rounded and have strengths in their fighting styles. ‘Borz’ does rely on wrestling more often, so Whittaker does pose a threat with 85% takedown defense. However, Chimaev has also changed his coach and included Salim Noutsalkhanov, who is regulating the resting and training periods for him. So fans came up with a new debate about their fists, and they had pretty interesting insights on that.

One follower said that both have similar wrists and declared, ” It’s the angle and the lighting, he has bigger hands than Bobby but not by that much.” Another follower applied Physics 101 and wrote, “Larger surface area = less impact physics amigo.” However ‘Borz’ does have a powerful punch; 5 of his 13 wins came via knockouts. There is a video of ‘Borz’ having 856 points in the punching machine as per Red Corner MMA.

However, another fan said, “They’re almost the same size,” while one follower chimed in, “There is not much of a difference in fist size but Khamzat has a bigger bone structure than Robert.” If this is a debate about fists and punching power then Chimaev is not the only one with an aggressive punch. Whittaker also packs a mean punch because he has KO’d his opponents with punches before within the first round.  

On top of that, another fan observed some light and shadow work in making Chimaev’s hands appear bigger. They said, “Considering he doesn’t have a 6th finger… the shadow you’re seeing is making it look bigger than it is lol.”  Another netizen agreed and wrote, “Yeah I rewatched it and they aren’t as big as they seem.” Similarly, another fan wrote, “Good shout. I don’t think it’s a shadow though. Think it’s Rob’s shoulder. Shadows aren’t skin color.”

So does their fist size matter on who is going to win? Who do you think will take the belt? Tell us in the comments below.