Robert Whittaker warns Khamzat Chimaev and says he's ready for 'Borz's' wrestling ahead of their fight - "I’m ready for the scrambling"

Robert Whittaker recently issued a warning to Khamzat Chimaev, asserting his readiness to counter the potent wrestling skills of 'Borz' in their upcoming bout. Whittaker is gearing up to square off against Chimaev in a potential title eliminator for the middleweight championship in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia.

The Fight Night event is set to take place on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

During a recent interview with Main Event TV, the former 185-pound champion was asked about his preparations for his upcoming fight, particularly against the undefeated Chechen’s aggressive fighting style.

'The Reaper' affirmed that he is fully primed for any challenge and elaborated on his strategy to neutralize his opponent's threats:

"I definitely think controlling the spacing is important. I am ready for the wrestling exchanges. I'm ready for the scrambling, and I hope he is too. But controlling the spacing, giving things to worry about like throwing punches and throwing kicks, and showing that he can't freely shoot, and when he does shoot, make sure I am scrambling."

"I will make sure he has to pay twice if he wants to go for the takedowns. It's a five-round fight, and I'm sure his pacing will be a little different otherwise it's gonna be an early night for him."

Whittaker further acknowledged Chimaev's striking prowess and assured that he's not overlooking the obstacles they present:

"He's got power; he's got a very clean one-two down the pipe and I'm aware of it. I'm not underestimating it but I can handle it."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below:

Check out the full interview below:

'The Reaper' is coming off a commanding unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February. Meanwhile, Chimaev clinched a majority decision win in a short-notice bout against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October.

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Robert Whittaker explains his lack of concern over Khamzat Chimaev's grappling prowess

In an interview with ESPN Australia last month, Robert Whittaker recognized the potential challenges presented by Khamzat Chimaev's grappling skills. However, he expressed confidence, stating he is not intimidated by the prospect of taking the fight into the deeper rounds and said:

"I think the surest way to victory is to go in there, obviously not play to his strengths, which is not engaging in the wrestle but not be afraid of it. I can wrestle with the best of them and I've shown and proved that."

He added:

"So, I'm going to go in there and I'm going to fight my fight. I'm going to fight a standup fight, I'm going to see where it goes, I'm going to drag it out. It's a five-round fight. I've been in plenty of those and I've got no quit in me."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (4:09):