Unfazed Robert Whittaker Plans to End Khamzat Chimaev’s Best Weapon With Pacing – “He Has to Pay Twice”

One of the biggest fights of the year is the middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. The pair will lock horns in a month’s time in Saudi Arabia. Both fighters will look to end up on the winning side and get a title shot soon. This will also be the second biggest fight in the middleweight division in June after Sean Strickland takes on Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

With weeks left for the fight and stakes this high, neither fighter will concede an inch and will want to be at the top of their game on June 22. In a recent interview, Robert Whittaker shared his opinion about ‘Borz’ as an opponent. While the 33-year-old does consider him dangerous, he claimed that he was more than ready for the challenge.

In an interview with Fox Sports, ‘The Reaper’ revealed his game plan. He said, “I definitely think controlling the spacing is going to be important in this fight. I am ready for the wrestling exchanges. I am ready for the scrambling I hope he is. You know, but yeah, I think controlling the space. Making sure you can’t freely shoot. And when he does shoot make sure I also scramble. Make sure he has to pay twice what he wants to for the takedown.”

One of the biggest assets of ‘Borz’s is his wrestling skills, which he predominantly uses in his fights. If the 33-year-old wants to come out on top, he should negate his grappling, and it seems he has a plan. He further added, “So yeah, it’s a five-round fight, so I hope his pacing is different; otherwise it’s gonna be an early night for him. I have seen him in person, he is taller than me. I always thought he was a middleweight that struggles to get to welterweight, not the other way round. You have seen him time and time again, wrestling, grappling. He is going to come with size. He’s gonna come strong, so I am not really worried about that much.”

Whittaker is a veteran of the sport and has faced some of the best in the business. So he definitely has the upper hand in the in-cage experience side of things. Plus, his 1-2 followed by a head kick combination is a thing of beauty and a bullet to watch out for, if you’re Chimaev.

Plus, ‘the Wolf’ has been absent from the Octagon since his UFC 294 triumph against Kamaru Usman. A barrage of health issues in recent times have kept him out of action. However, his last opponent Usman feels he is still a threat to Whittaker.

Kamaru Usman believes Whittaker will have “hands full” with Chimaev

Robert Whittaker is one of the most conditioned athletes in the division, and many feel he has an advantage going into a five-round fight against Chimaev. All seven of Chimaev’s UFC outings were three-rounders, and he went the distance in just two of them. But, in both of those fights, he looked human. This has led many to side with Whittaker for the upcoming clash. But it seems the former champion Kamaru Usman doesn’t quite agree with this.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ faced the Chechen in his last fight, went the full distance, and lost a majority decision. Most fans questioned the decision, and many felt that the former champion won the fight. Since then, people have started questioning the credibility of ‘Borz’, but he is still a threat in the division, says Usman.

In a recent episode of his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, Usman shared his opinion on the undefeated fighter. He said, “I think just because of my fight [with Khamzat at UFC 294], people are downplaying his skills, whether he’s good or not. Everyone is saying ‘he’s not that good’. But I was a champion, you know. I think he’s kind of getting the short end of the stick here. I still believe that he is a problem to deal with inside that octagon, and I know from that first round I had my hands full.” 

It seems Usman is talking out of experience and the 33-year-old shouldn’t be complacent about the fight. It will be interesting to see whether Chimaev can replicate his same performance after such a massive break. Who do you think will win the fight between the two? Let us know in the comments below.