Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker spoke about his failed booking to face divisional boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Saudi Arabia in June. The Chechen wolf had to pull out of the fight for health reasons and was replaced by his former opponent, Ikram Aliskerov.
Robert Whittaker made quick work of Aliskerov, resurfacing interest in possibly rebooking the fight with Chimaev. As it turned out, 'The Reaper' was the one who asked for the fight against 'Borz' in the first place, saying:
"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."
MMA Junkie posted the quote on Instagram:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Interestingly, former UFC welterweight and inaugural BMF champion Jorge 'Gamebred' Masvidal commented on the post, saying:
"Rob [Whittaker] all day bye man Vs boy beat down."
Robert Whittaker believes a win over Khamzat Chimaev will significantly bring him closer to a world title shot
In the same interview with MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker expressed strong interest in still facing Khamzat Chimaev, possibly in October in Abu Dhabi. He believes a win over 'Borz' will bolster his chances of getting his belt back.
The former UFC middleweight king said:
"Straight after the last fight [vs Aliskerov], I was like, I saw that there was an Abu Dhabi card in October. My timeline fits perfectly. And I was like, 'I'll fight Chimaev again. Let's do it again'. Just make sure he turns out."
"I look forward to hard fights. I look forward to these fights. And I know if I beat Chimaev, there is nothing in my way to getting my belt back. Chimaev, as dangerous as he is, I don't go into these fights thinking about what I have to lose. I'm going to get in there in October. i'm going to put the one-two head [inaudible] on him. And then, you know, worry about a title shot after that."
Here's the clip of the statement as posted by Championship Rounds on X: