Robert Whittaker dissects UFC 308 matchup, claims he's "faster" and has "better striking" than Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker last entered the octagon in June when he defeated Ikram Aliskerov, who stepped in for Khamzat Chimaev on short notice, via first-round knockout at UFC on ABC 6. That was his second victory of 2024 after previously defeating Paulo Costa via unanimous decision at UFC 298.

'The Reaper' is set to return this weekend when he faces 'Borz' in a rebooking of the originally scheduled June matchup. The No.3-ranked middleweight recently shared this thoughts on the upcoming bout. Speaking on the UFC 308 Countdown, Whittaker claimed:

"If I give him half a chance, he'll kill me, but I take confidence because of how well-rounded I am. I'm exceptional at it all. I'm faster, I'm a better striker and I have better instincts. I'm a hard guy to take down. I am confident that my skills are better than his."

Whittaker later added:

"This isn't a wrestling match. This is an MMA fight. I'm going to look to stuff his takedowns and I'm going to beat him up... The fight with Chimaev is going to take all my focus and all my willpower and I'm going to get in there and I'm going to rip him."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below (starting at the 45:51 mark):

Chimaev remains undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, however, the five-round bout will mark his toughest test at middleweight. 'Borz' has never faced a ranked 185-pounder, however, he will have the opportunity to make a statement in the title eliminator against Whittaker.

Belal Muhammad shares prediction for Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker will have the opportunity to fight for the undisputed middleweight title for the third time in his mixed martial arts career with a victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. Belal Muhammad recently revealed that he does not believe 'The Reaper' will be able to hand 'Borz' the first loss of his career.

Speaking to Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov of Submission Radio, the welterweight champion claimed:

"I'm just hoping that they make it to fight day, right? That's one of those fights I can't wait for it to come and to know that it's a week away is huge. But for myself, I think I got Khamzat taking him down. I think, I don't know, I have him by submission."

Check out Belal Muhammad's comments on Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev below (starting at the 12:40 mark):

Muhammad noted that Chimaev's wrestling is very good. He added that he believes 'Borz' will use that aspect of his mixed martial arts game to dominate the upcoming bout.