Former champion Robert Whittaker has apparently reinvigorated himself, recording back-to-back banger wins. Now, ‘Bobby Knuckles’, brims with confidence, ahead of the impending matchup against UAE’s, Khamzat Chimaev. But could that be a massive “mistake”? Well, someone seems to believe that Whittaker could be in no-man’s-land.

Having knocked out Ikram Aliskerov before he even got hold of the main event feeling, Robert Whittaker is now looking for the title and has welcomed Khamzat Chimaev’s Challenge. The undefeated star, struggling to be more active as a fighter, has created a sense of doubt among UFC fans and head honcho Dana White about his reliability due to pullouts and health issues. However, the cast of ‘The Brendan Schmitty Show’, who made their debut appearance on Tim Welch‘s podcast, believes that the fight is for Chimaev to win because of his home-field advantage.

“I think that match is perfectly crafted for Khamzat. Just from everything they did with that matchup… What people don’t respect is that he’s going to get a home game vs Robert Whittaker. Robert Whittaker is going to have to come to [the] UAE where Khamzat does most of his training. Everything is sponsored by the UAE. He’s there all the time and Robert Whittaker has to come from across the world to his hometown and fight Khamzat,” said Schmitty’s confidant, Warlike. Well, former champ Sean O’Malley‘s coach seems to agree with that notion.

Tim Welch referred to the Justin Gaethje situation when the former BMF said he’d “rather fight in June” than fight, in Abu Dhabi. He wanted a quick turnaround, and his opponents knew about it. “It really is a benefit. They said Justin Gaethje came to UAE, I think 10 days [or] 9 days before, and all those Russians knew. They’re like, ‘That is a damn mistake,'” Welch added.

If we look at statistics, Welch’s assessment of Russian fighters in Abu Dhabi is not entirely wrong. Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Magomed Ankalaev scored significant career wins in the UAE’s capital. So could Khamzat Chimaev get the best of Robert Whittaker? That remains to be seen, but guess what? ‘The Reaper’ can’t wait to go to the Middle East.

Robert Whittaker is confident despite the hometown scare against Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker’s confidence ahead of his rescheduled bout comes from the fact that he thinks Khamzat Chimaev made a mistake by pulling out. The Aussie star took that advantage and ran with it, getting to prepare in two camps for the undefeated Emirati star, which he claims to have put him in the drivers ahead of what is arguably being called a number-one contender’s matchup at UFC 308.

“The timeline’s worked out and, you know, I like fighting in the Middle East as well… This [Khamzat’s injury] has worked in my favor because, now, I’ve essentially had two camps for this guy, right? I think skill-set wise, I’m probably the best I’ve been, especially most prepared for Khamzat, theoretically speaking, as I could be right,” Robert Whittaker stated a few weeks ago, with an eye on becoming the second two-time middleweight champion down the line.

Well, this is just an analysis, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments about your pick for the Khamzat Chimaev vs Robert Whittaker showdown.