Robert Whittaker predicts Khamzat Chimaev's intimidating trait could become a weakness in a potential fight against Dricus du Plessis

On a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Robert Whittaker discussed how Khamzat Chimaev's overwhelming demeanor in the octagon could turn into a disadvantage against a calculated fighter like Dricus du Plessis.

When asked who stands a better chance against Chimaev—Du Plessis or Sean Strickland which is happening soon at UFC 312, Whittaker provided a thoughtful response saying:

"I think he beats both of them, I do, I think Dricus would be a harder opponent of Sean and him, just because if Dricus survives because Dricus is just good at surviving, being there, and if we have seen anything with Chimaev, he gets tired committing too heavily to his shots, and grappling transitions."

Checkout Robert Whittaker's comments below (6:14):

At UFC 308, Whittaker faced Chimaev in a highly anticipated bout. Soon in the first round Chimaev attempted a takedown and eventually got Whittaker's back. This resulted in a quick face-crank submission, which ultimately broke Whittaker's teeth. He had to go through a dental surgery.

Whittaker also opened up recently about his fight with Chimaev in The Aerial Helwani Show, saying:

''It was the initial takedown, I guess, that surprised the most... The guy shot from like two meters away and was. Honestly, a foot off the ground. It's hard to defend.''

Even though Whittaker suffered a loss, he is skeptical of Chimaev’s win against the reigning middleweight champion, as he thinks it could backfire against a composed fighter like Du Plessis.

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Robert Whittaker slams Daniel Cormier over ‘Scummy’ post-fight photo leak

Rober Whittaker recently criticized Daniel Cormier on The Aerial Helwani show for sharing a post-fight image after his loss to Khamzat Chimaev, calling the act "scummy." The leaked photo, which Whittaker felt was disrespectful.

Whittaker annoyingly said:

“I was super annoyed! It’s such a scummy thing to do. The doctor took a photo of my mouth and said, ‘I’m just going to go show Dana and Hunter so that they know what’s up.’ And I’m like, ‘Cool.’ And then DC took a photo off the other guy’s phone to post all over socials. It’s like, is that not scummy?”

The photo, showing Whittaker’s teeth shifted by Chimaev’s face crank submission, sparked significant reactions online. Whittaker voiced his dissatisfaction, pointing out that the injury seemed exaggerated in the image compared to its actual severity. He criticized the way the situation was handled, feeling it gave a misleading impression of the damage.