Robert Whittaker makes his opinion clear about Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling, shares his fight plan for UFC 308

Robert Whittaker wants Khamzat Chimaev to "show him" that he's the best wrestler in the UFC.

Since his clash against Gilbert Burns in April 2022, Chimaev has only fought twice in the octagon, defeating Kevin Holland and Kamaru Usman. On Saturday night, the undefeated 30-year-old middleweight will end a year-long layoff when he meets number three-ranked Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event.

Whittaker has faced many world-class middleweights throughout his UFC tenure. At UFC 308, the former 185-pound champion looks to take a significant step toward a title shot and derail Chimaev's hype train.

Whittaker and Chimaev recently participated in the UFC 308 press conference. When asked about Chimaev's wrestling, 'The Reaper' said:

"He very well might be [the best wrestler in the UFC]. The thing is though we're not wrestling. I'm going to be doing my hardest to not wrestle with him. I'm going to try and take the fight into my own strengths, and honestly, I've heard it's really good. He says it's good, everybody else agrees, so show me. I'm ready. I want it." [8:38-9:20]

Watch Robert Whittaker talk about Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling skills below:

Robert Whittaker enters the event after back-to-back impressive performances against Paulo Costa (unanimous decision) and Ikram Aliskerov (first-round knockout). Aliskerov stepped in on short notice to fight Whittaker in June due to Chimaev pulling out due to an illness.

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What's at stake between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev?

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev was initially considered a potential No. 1 contender bout. With that said, Dana White recently announced that Dricus du Plessis will defend his middleweight title in a rematch against Sean Strickland.

Therefore, the winner between Whittaker and Chimaev might challenge either Du Plessis or Strickland. Things could get complicated depending on the timeline of the middleweight title rematch, as they won't be fighting until at least early 2025.

Nonetheless, Whittaker and Chimaev have something to prove at UFC 308. Whittaker needs to showcase why he deserves a rematch against Du Plessis, assuming 'Stillknocks' defends his title against Strickland. Meanwhile, Chimaev looks to silence the people who have started doubting his world title aspirations.