Khamzat Chimaev’s latest attempt to intimidate Robert Whittaker has failed.
Khamzat Chimaev was set to face off against Robert Whittaker in the main event of last weekend’s UFC card. This was set to be in Saudi Arabia. However, Khamzat Chimaev was in and out of hospital for most of his training camp. This ultimately ended with Khamzat Chimaev withdrawing from the fight due to illness. However, that hasn’t stopped Chimaev from challenging Robert Whittaker once again. This is after Robert Whittaker was able to secure the first-round stoppage of Ikram Aliskerov who was Chimaev’s replacement.
Robert Whittaker Laughs off Khamzat Chimaev
Robert Whittaker has laughed off Khamzat Chimaev’s latest attempt to intimate him during an interview with From The Stands;
“Well, I will say, ‘See you soon?’ It’s like, where? You can’t get into any country,” Robert Whittaker said. “Where are you going to see me, bro? When I’m in the area, right? Yeah. So that’s tricky to start with.”
Khamzat Chimaev has appeared to have gotten a little too friendly with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov is currently sanctioned by the US government due to crimes against humanity. This has left him unable to enter the United States and possibly other countries as well. However, it appears Whittaker is willing to go out at again with Chimaev.
Whittaker Willing to Rebook the Fight
Robert Whittaker is willing to accept another against Chimaev if the UFC is wanting to rebook this fight.
“Mate, I’m a middleweight. I don’t pick my fights,” Robert Whittaker said. “If that’s a fight that UFC wants and are still are interested in making, and they want me to to headline another card out that way? That’s what I do. That’s why I do this. Right? Our paths are sure to cross. We’re both top 10 middleweights. That’s kind of the game.”
“But right now, I don’t have anyone in my crosshairs. Like I said, I don’t pick fights. I don’t look to pick fights. I just wait until they give me a name, and then I set my sights. And that’s kinda how the hunt begins.”
However, we wait to see what is happening next for both fighters. Khamzat Chimaev is most likely going to be slotted into a fight on their Abu Dhabi fight card which is set to happen in October 2024. Chimaev will hope that his health issues don’t flare up and rule him out of another fight card. However, as for Robert Whittaker, he is considering being the backup fighter for UFC 305 title fight. This is going to be Dricus Du Plessis’s middleweight title when he is against Israel Adesanya in August 2024. Robert Whittaker and Kamzat Chimaev’s paths may cross once again someday, however, currently it doesn’t look like it will happen any day soon.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
