Robert Whittaker isn’t letting Khamzat Chimaev off the hook that easy. After their originally scheduled bout in Saudi Arabia was canceled due to Chimaev’s illness, Whittaker faced Ikram Aliskerov instead, securing a first-round knockout. Despite this victory, Whittaker wasn’t content to move past the Chimaev matchup.

Now, the two are set to face each other on October 26 in the co-main event of UFC 308, held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Speaking recently on his YouTube channel, Whittaker revealed why he insisted on this fight.

“Chimaev is a hard fight,” Whittaker said. “He’s obviously a big draw, especially over there in Abu Dhabi. He’s done the welterweight thing, he’s done the middleweight thing, so he’s a draw, and I think the UFC story-wise wants to see Chimaev get a shot at the champion. They want to see Chimaev up the top of the ladder. They want to see him in that picture, but I love disrupting their plans. I love derailing their stories, and that’s why I took the fight.”

Whittaker further emphasized that the fight wasn’t offered to him; he specifically asked for it.

“Straight after last fight, I saw that there was an Abu Dhabi card in October, timeline fits perfectly, and I was like, ‘I’ll fight Chimaev again. I’ll do it again, just make sure he turns up.’ Because I look forward to hard fights. I look forward to these fights, and I know that if I beat Chimaev, there is nothing in my way to getting my belt back.”

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This match is significant not just for Whittaker but also for Chimaev, who has been out of action since his majority decision win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October. Chimaev, who has dealt with multiple injuries and illnesses throughout his career, is looking to maintain his undefeated streak. Meanwhile, Whittaker, a former UFC middleweight champion, hasn’t held the belt since losing it to Israel Adesanya in 2019. He fought his way back to a rematch in 2022 but fell short again. After a title eliminator loss against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290, Whittaker rebounded with wins over Paulo Costa and Aliskerov. Now, with a win over the very popular Chimaev, Whittaker believes that will be enough to get another crack at the title.

“Chimaev, as dangerous as he is, I don’t go into these fights thinking about what I have to lose,” Whittaker said. “Much like how I took the fight with Ikram, I don’t look at the fight and think, ‘Oh man, it’s too big of a risk.’ Every fight’s a risk! I only go into fight because I have the confidence I’m going to beat and smash whoever is in front of me, and that doesn’t change with Chimaev. So I’m going to get in there in October, I’m going to put the One-Two-How-Do-You-Do on him, and worry about a title shot after that.”

UFC 308 Match Card

• Main Event: Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Max Holloway (Featherweight)
• Co-Main Event: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov (Heavyweight)
• Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev (Middleweight)
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Raki? (Light Heavyweight)
• Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige (Featherweight)
• Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos (Welterweight)
• Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (Heavyweight)
• Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (Welterweight)

UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with fights starting early in the morning UK time. This highly anticipated card, especially the Whittaker vs. Chimaev clash, promises to be a thrilling night for MMA fans.

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