Robert Whittaker responds to Khamzat Chimaev's callout, says they make hard fights for each other

Khamzat Chimaev recently took to Instagram to call for a "good guy vs. bad guy" bout against Robert Whittaker. The No.2-ranked middleweight responded to the call out, sharing that he is willing to face the No.3-ranked welterweight.

Speaking to Submission Radio, the No.14-ranked pound-for-pound fighter stated:

"Let’s do it. Whatever. Yeah, I don’t know. If it’s a fight that gets presented to me, then it is what it is. Yeah, I think it’d be a good fight. I think it'd be a hard fight. I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. I think he has a lot of strengths. I think I have a lot of strengths. I think I’m a hard fighter for him just the same. I’m quite good with my hands, can stuff a lot of takedowns. I’m hard to hold down. I’m squirmy."

Robert Whittaker added that the fight would get people excited before claiming:

"The reason why it would be a fight that’s worth making is because he’s riding the hype train, and because UFC want to bring this guy, who’s the boogeyman to a lot of guys, up in the rankings. They want him to fight me at the top of the chain so that it opens the door to whoever wins, and then jump behind. That’s the only reason it makes sense."

Robert Whittaker was scheduled to face Paulo Costa at UFC 284, however, the No.6-ranked middleweight stated that he never received or signed a contract. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev has called out several opponents, but has not had a fight booked. Both fighters have not entered the octagon since September 2022.

Watch Robert Whittaker's response to Khamzat Chimaev below (starting at the 8:00 mark):

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Khamzat Chimaev believes Robert Whittaker is his next opponent

Prior to his Instagram post in which he called for a fight with Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev revealed that he believes the No.2-ranked middleweight is his next opponent. Speaking with Red Corner MMA, the No.3-ranked welterweight stated:

"I think I will fight Robert Whittaker. He's got no opponent. Paulo Costa ran away after talking that much about me and Robert so I will fight Whittaker. I want this fight, although I like him as a human being. He is a solid guy, doesn't talk trash, doesn't cross any lines. We are going to have fun at the press conference and fight each other."

Chimaev had previously called for a title opportunity against middleweight champion Alex Pereira, however, he is set to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in a rematch of their UFC 281 bout. Although 'Borz' is unranked as a middleweight, defeating a top contender such as Whittaker would likely expedite his opportunity to receive a title shot.

Watch Khamzat Chimaev discuss facing Robert Whittaker below (starting at the 3:15 mark):