On June 22, the UFC will hold its first tournament in the promotion’s history in Saudi Arabia. The event will be headlined by the fight between Australian Robert Whittaker and undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. In addition, the fight has challenger status, and its winner will be able to fight for the title of middleweight champion in the future.
Robert Whittaker
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
On paper, the fight with Whittaker looks tough, and in fact, this is Chimaev’s first real middleweight opponent. In this context, there is something to be careful about, but the dividends are also high: Robert is in third place in the ranking and Khamzat is in eleventh. Borz’s victory will immediately catapult him into the ranks of the organization’s best middleweights. By the way, according to the first quotes, the Chechen fighter is the favorite of this confrontation.
How can Chimaev defeat such a formidable opponent? Whittaker has enormous experience on his side, he was a champion, claimed the title afterwards and in recent years has fought exclusively high level opponents. However, Robert has never had the opportunity to meet those who work so intensely in the field.
Chimaev had a chance for a bigger fight:
Chimaev turned down the main fight of his life. Has Khamzat lost his mind?
Chimaev’s main key is, of course, wrestling. Borz works very aggressively and, in this sense, is a unique fighter in the middle division. Whittaker was transferred 12 times during his UFC career, but it must be said that opponents with a base at least close to wrestling calmly put the Australian on the canvas. Yoel Romero did this, but even then he was not in the best shape and did not benefit from it. But judoka Dricus du Plessis not only moved Whittaker, he also completely dominated him, causing him damage on the ground and in the pound.
There is reason to believe that Khamzat will fight Robert without any problems, the question is how long the Australian can survive. Furthermore, as often happens, the attack power of the fighters is underestimated. Chimaev had more wins by knockout than submission before joining the UFC. He is the only one who knocked out (and, in principle, defeated) Ikram Aliskerov, and it was a one-punch knockout. And overall, in Brave, with four wins, Khamzat finished off his opponents three times thanks to the power in his hands.
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Whittaker, by the way, is well aware of this threat: “Khamzat is a strong fighter, he loves to fight and has knockout power. He likes to play the role of a villain, but in reality he is a noble and respectful fighter. We’re going to go out and fight a fair fight, and we’re both going to leave it all in the octagon. “He never gives up, I never give up and I hope to make history in Saudi Arabia.”
What prevents Chimaev from reaching the belt faster:
“Chimaev is not allowed to travel.” Borz’s belt dreams ruined by visa problems
Doubts are already beginning to arise about Whittaker’s “incumbent.” This is logical, the Australian has a lot of experience and, consequently, considerable accumulated damage, which in one way or another affects the way the fighter receives the blow. This is also visible visually. In the last fight, Paulo Costa hit a spinning kick that left Whittaker staggering, but he was saved by the bell. At the beginning of the fight, Robert ducked after a powerful blow from du Plessis, but he had less luck there: a technical knockout a few seconds later. Chimaev can likely surprise Reaper not only in wrestling, but also in stand-up.
Of course, the big question is how Khamzat will last the five-round distance if necessary. The last fight with Kamaru Usman left many doubts regarding Borz’s resistance. What if he can’t finish Whittaker in the first or second round? Will Khamzat be able to distribute forces correctly? Still, this is Chimaev’s first five-round fight, and there’s no doubt his opponent knows how to go that far.
Khamzat Chimaev
Photo: Getty Images
However, Khamzat will deservedly be the favorite in this fight. He has more keys to victory and when, if not now and not with such an opponent, he will confirm his title aspirations.
