"The reaper finna have his soul snatched" - Early fan predictions pour in as Dana White announces Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Dana White recently sent MMA fans into a frenzy by announcing that Robert Whittaker will be taking on Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia in June. This will be the promotion's first event in the Kingdom and features a stacked Fight Night card.

White also announced that the co-main event will be a heavyweight matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. Elsewhere on the card, Daniel Rodriguez will face Kelvin Gastelum while Johnny Walker takes on Volkan Oezdemir. Striking savant Sharabutdin Magomedov will face Ihor Poteiria.

Soon after White's announcement went live, popular MMA-based X handle @SpinninBackfist shared the news about UFC Saudi Arabia's middleweight title-eliminating headliner.

Fans soon flocked to the post's comments section to share their thoughts and predictions for the Whittaker-Chimaev fight.

One fan wrote:

"The Reaper finna have his soul snatched."

Another fan wrote:

"Unfortunately, Khamzat does get the submission in the first round."

One user stated:

"I'm surprised how many people are counting 'The Reaper' out, that's crazy."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @SpinninBackfist on X

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When Robert Whittaker dismissed Khamzat Chimaev as potential opponent in favor of Sean Strickland

Earlier this month, Robert Whittaker shared his thoughts on his next opponent en route to another title shot. 'The Reaper' surprisingly dismissed Khamzat Chimaev as a legitimate rival in the cage and picked Sean Strickland instead.

Whittaker recently beat Paulo Costa at UFC 298 via unanimous decision. In the aftermath, he expressed an interest in competing in August. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Whittaker was asked whether he'd like to fight Chimaev next. He replied:

"That’s tricky because that doesn’t move me. It does in clout, but it doesn’t move me higher up in the rankings. I don’t know. I want to fight guys in the top five. Beating Strickland puts me at [No.] 1 again, and that’s as close as you can get really."

He continued:

“He [Strickland] had a huge reception here in Australia. I’m sure that the fans would love to see me and him cross paths here on home soil."

While Whittaker had his eye on a bout against Strickland, it appears the UFC had other plans for the former middleweight champion. Chimaev is coming off a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October.