Robert Whittaker believes Khamzat Chimaev could not have performed better than he did last weekend.
Whittaker was scheduled to face Chimaev in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia last Saturday, but the fighter pulled out due to illness. Chimaev has struggled to step into the cage in recent years, but Whittaker says he never doubted “Bolz” would take the bout, but only because he had other instructions.
“Not really, because of the location,” Whittaker told Ariel Helwani. MMA Hour“I know he struggled to get to that particular spot, obviously health-wise, but health is unpredictable. Obviously, I thought that spot was just the right fit for him. But it is what it is. I'm happy he's doing well. I think he's a lot healthier than he was before he withdrew. Outside of the Octagon, we're just people. I don't want anybody to get sick.”
Ikram Aliskerov was rushed in to replace Chimaev in an attempt to save the tournament, but it didn't work out, and Whittaker handily dispatched Aliskerov, knocking him out within two minutes for his first win since 2017. Whittaker believes the outcome would have been the same if Chimaev hadn't withdrawn from the tournament.
“I was pretty well prepared,” Whittaker said. “I would have been 99% sure I would have beaten Khamzat. Maybe we'll meet one day as top fighters in the same division, but he averted a crisis that night, that's for sure.”
Chimaev, of course, disagrees. Shortly after Whittaker's win, “Bolz” took to social media to tell Whittaker that their relationship wasn't over, but Whittaker simply laughed it off.
“First of all, I was like, when are we going to see each other?” Whitaker said. “You can't go to a lot of countries. [Laughs]We're not going to meet up, and I'm not in the area. [Laughs].
“Like I said, I'm a middleweight. If he's a middleweight, I know he could fight at welterweight, so if we're both top-class fighters, maybe our paths will cross. I didn't avoid you. I didn't not sign a contract to fight you.”
Since bursting onto the UFC scene in 2020, Chimaev has struggled to stay in action due to illness and travel restrictions. The next likely time Chimaev returns would be at UFC 308 in October, when the promotion heads to Abu Dhabi. Whittaker hasn't committed to anything as of now, but “Bobby Knuckles” might be open to it if UFC wants to rebook the bout on that date.
“It's a possibility,” Whittaker said of the Abu Dhabi fight. “We'll see what happens.”
