Tag: Khamzat Chimaev

Bo Nickal’s response to Khamzat Chimaev’s criticism of his UFC 300 win wasn’t the best

Asking who Khamzat Chimaev beat when he, too, was 5-0 kind of backfired on Bo Nickal.

Perhaps [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s response to [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] dismissing his UFC 300 performance wasn’t the best.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) criticized Nickal’s (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) wrestling – calling it “big bullsh*t” on X – in his second-round submission of Cody Brundage in Saturday’s UFC 300 main card opener.

Nickal’s rebuttal?

“The fact that he’s recognizing it and he sees what’s coming, too, I think that it’s good for everybody,” Nickal said on “The MMA Hour.” “Good for me, good for him, good for the sport. So, we’re going to make that fight happen. I would just, in response to that, yo, who were you fighting at 5-0, bro? Some random dude in Europe. Like, I’m fighting in the UFC, on UFC 300. So there’s levels to this.”

The “random dude in Europe” that Chimaev beat when he, too, was 5-0? None other than Ikram Aliskerov, who hasn’t lost since that 2019 knockout by Chimaev and is 2-0 in the UFC with two first-round knockouts.

Nickal kind of shot himself in the foot there with that remark.

Nickal believes a fight between him and Chimaev is inevitable. However, Chimaev is a lot further ahead in his UFC title campaign as he gears up for his No. 1 contender bout against former champion Robert Whittaker, which headlines the June 22 card in Saudi Arabia.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC on ABC 6 headliner

Khamzat Chimaev is set for the next toughest test of his career against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6. Here’s what you need to know.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] got past one former UFC champion in his most recent fight, and this summer he’ll try to defeat another when he meets [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] in June.

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev preview

Undefeated Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, returns for the first time since September 2022, when he defeated former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by majority decision. Chimaev’s other UFC victories include notables Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland, among others.

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), ranked No. 4, looks to continue the momentum he picked up from a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa in February. The win was his second in three fights and returned him to the win column after a TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis.

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev preliminary odds

Accord to preliminary odds on FanDuel, the fight is expected to be close, with Chimaev a slight favorite at -186, while Whittaker is listed as a +144 underdog.

How to watch Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC on ABC 6

When: Saturday, June 22, 2024

Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Broadcast/streaming: ABC, ESPN+

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

Robert Whittaker plans to shake Khamzat Chimaev’s ‘undoubted confidence’ at UFC Saudi Arabia

Robert Whittaker aims to make Khamzat Chimaev uncomfortable by dragging him into unchartered waters.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] aims to put [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] in unchartered waters.

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) faces Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a five-round UFC main event June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which airs on ABC. The former middleweight champion likes the challenge of facing unbeaten Chimaev, a matchup that not too many people are clamoring for.

“It’s perfect for me to be able to get another one in,” Whittaker said on the “MIGHTYcast” podcast. “Then you put the fact that it’s against Chimaev who, you know, he’s got a lot of hype and stuff. It’s going to bring a lot of eyes. He is the boogeyman in the division at the moment.

“Nobody wants to fight him. No one wants to have a go with him. So, I get to have that run at him, which will be fun. I think that they’re the fights that excite me because they’re the tests. They’re the type of fights I get a lot of honor and pride out of.”

Whittaker, who’s coming off a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, thinks Chimaev will have a hard time getting him down to the mat. He expects to get the better of him on the feet, too.

“I’d like to think that I’m going to go in there with a speed advantage and a striking advantage,” Whittaker said. “I’m going in there thinking that his – I think one of his greatest strengths is the fact that he can force the wrestling on people. I think it’s going to be a little harder to force the wrestling on me, just because of my distance, because of my control of spacing.

“I’m really looking forward to this fight. I think it’s going to be a hard fight. I’m going to take that same mentality into this fight and look to take him to war and just earn this win. I’m going to earn this win, and this puts me in perfect direction for a title shot and condition for a title shot, which has always been the goal.”

Chimaev has been on a tear in the UFC but was pushed in two of his recent fights against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. Although he outlasted both, Whittaker thinks he can test Chimaev over five rounds.

“I think ‘impress’ is the wrong word,” Whittaker said on Chimaev. “I think he’s a good fighter, and I think he’s got a great head space for the craft. He knows what he does well, and he goes out there with undoubted confidence in what he can do.

“That makes a very dangerous recipe, but also it’s something that, if it gets shaken, then you don’t know which way the cards are going to fall. So, I’m looking forward to testing that, to see how big the hype is.”

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Video: Review of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev and UFC Saudi Arabia

What to make of the announced fights for UFC Saudi Arabia, including Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses the booking between [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], along with a review of the UFC Saudi Arabia card.

Last week, UFC CEO Dana White announced many of the key matchups for the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia, which is scheduled to take place June 22. These fight announcements included the main event pitting Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) against Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

So what do we make about this middleweight booking and the rest of the main card?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Nolan King, host “Gorgeous” George Garcia reacted to the lineup.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube and in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/f9e84PpMjN0

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Michael Bisping says Khamzat Chimaev should be ‘automatically’ concerned about Robert Whittaker matchup

The way Michael Bisping sees it, Robert Whittaker is a VERY tough opponent for Khamzat Chimaev’s first five-round fight.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] doesn’t like [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s chances against [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] if they reach the championship rounds.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) faces former middleweight champ Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) in a five-round headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which airs on ABC.

With Whittaker being the first five-round fight of Chimaev’s career, Bisping believes that could spell disaster for the undefeated fighter.

“Automatically, if you’re in the corner of Khamzat Chimaev, you’ve got to be concerned,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “One thing Robert Whittaker is not going to do is run out of gas. He’s a very, very experienced fighter fighting at the highest level for a long time. Without getting into the Xs and Os, the obvious thing is Khamzat always gasses.

“He’s a tremendous force of nature, the way he takes people down and dominates them right from the opening bell. He did the same thing against Kamaru Usman. Granted, didn’t get the finish, but he definitely did slow down. Against Gilbert Burns, same thing. He had a great Round 1. (Rounds) 2 and 3 were kind of close. Five rounds against somebody like Robert Whittaker, if he can’t finish him early, that could be a disastrous night for him in Saudi Arabia.”

Whittaker has gone the full 25 minutes on six different occasions, emerging victorious in four of them – including back-to-back wins over Yoel Romero.

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Joe Rogan: Robert Whittaker ‘a real fight’ for Khamzat Chimaev

Joe Rogan thinks Robert Whittaker will present a serious test for Khamzat Chimaev.

[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] will present a serious test for [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and former middleweight champion Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) will square off in a five-round headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main card will air on ABC.

Whittaker is coming off an impressive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298. Meanwhile, Chimaev hasn’t competed since outlasting former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on 10 days’ notice to face “Borz” in a 185-pound bout at UFC 294.

“Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia, that one is going to be f*cking wild. That’s a wild one,” Rogan said on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” with Joey Diaz. “That is a wild fight. … Whittaker vs. Khamzat is legit. That’s a real fight. That’s a real fight for Khamzat because Whittaker is a big dude. He’s a big, solid, beefy 185, former champion. Both guys started at 170, but it was too hard to make the 170. That’s a real 185er.”

As accomplished as Usman is, Rogan doesn’t put too much stock in Chimaev’s win over him.

“They gave him Kamaru Usman and Kamaru didn’t have a chance to prepare for that,” Rogan said. “He had 10 days. That’s not enough time. I don’t know what kind of shape he was in. He’s always in shape, but famously, Kamaru has bad knees – like real bad knees. So I don’t know how hard he was training or whether or not he prepares. Maybe he only sacrifices his knees during training and then when he’s not training for a fight, he takes it easy, so he doesn’t stay in the same kind of shape. I know he was winning in the third round.

“If that was a five-round fight, who knows how the f*ck that fight would have went. Obviously, Kamaru is world-championship caliber, the best welterweight of all time by most people’s accounts. It’s not enough time. It’s not enough time to get a guy to prepare for Khamzat. At least we got a chance to see what Khamzat looks like against a world-class, world championship-caliber fighter. This is a big one. This is Robert Whittaker with plenty of time to prepare – a guy who is just as legit as they get (and) just beat Paulo Costa. That’s a good fight. I like that.”

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UFC Saudi Arabia odds: Khamzat Chimaev opens up as betting favorite over Robert Whittaker

Oddsmakers are slightly favoring Khamzat Chimaev over Robert Whittaker.

Oddsmakers are slightly favoring [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] over [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) takes on Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) in a five-round headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main card will air on ABC.

According to SportsBetting, Chimaev is a -175 favorite, meaning a $175 bet on the unbeaten contender would return $100 profit. Whittaker is a +150 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former champion would win $150 profit.

Chimaev has yet to lose in his professional MMA career. After running through his first four UFC opponents, he outlasted Gilbert Burns in an all-out war at UFC 273. He then quickly tapped out Kevin Holland, before returning to 185 pounds to edge out former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.

Whittaker’s only losses at middleweight came in title fights against Israel Adesanya until he ran into current champ Dricus Du Plessis, who finished him by TKO at UFC 290. However, Whittaker was able to rebound by defeating Paulo Costa in an entertaining scrap at UFC 298.

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Robert Whittaker on fighting Khamzat Chimaev: ‘I’m in a great headspace to take another hard fight’

Robert Whittaker is excited to test the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] is excited to test the unbeaten [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) meets Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a five-round headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main card will air on ABC.

The former champion initially told MMA Junkie that a fight with Chimaev would just be for clout, but after UFC CEO Dana White announced it will be a No. 1 contender matchup, Whittaker appears to have changed his tune. Whittaker is fresh off an impressive performance over Paulo Costa at UFC 298.

“I do understand the task at hand,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “It’s going to be hard, and I’m going to be grinding my ass off this camp. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good thing that after last fight, I didn’t have any injuries.

“The body’s good. They offered me the fight. I fought four (or) five weeks ago at this point. I’m ready. Just give me another one. I’m in a great headspace to take another hard fight. I’m looking forward to it. Every hard fight pushes my skills to that next level, and this gets me in line to get the belt back – and that’s the goal.”

Whittaker knows the kind of challenge Chimaev brings. Chimaev most recently beat Kamaru Usman this past October at UFC 294. He was able to outgrapple the former welterweight champion with ease in Round 1.

“He’s a hard fighter. He likes to grapple a lot. He uses his reach and range to good effectiveness. He’s got good knockout power,” Whittaker said. “He likes to play the villain against his opponents, but he’s an honorable fighter.

“We’re going to get in there and we’re going to have an honest fight. We’re both going to leave it in there. He’s not a quitter, I’m not a quitter, so I look forward to making history in Saudi Arabia.”

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UFC Saudia Arabia fight card announced with Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev headliner

The UFC is headed to Saudi Arabia and the lineup (which will air on ABC) is stacked thus far.

The UFC will debut in Saudi Arabia this summer, and it’s bringing a major middleweight headliner with it.

Former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] in a five-round main event on June 22, UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday.

White added the bout’s winner will earn a crack at title gold and announced the main card will air on ABC.

Other fights on the card include [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag], [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag], [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag].

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, looks to continue the momentum from a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa in February. The win was his second in three fights and bounced him back into the win column after a loss to Dricus Du Plessis.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) returns for the first time since September 2022, when he defeated former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by majority decision. The No. 8 middleweight’s other UFC victories include Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland among others.

The current UFC Saudi Arabia lineup includes:

  • Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
  • Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Ihor Potieria

Robert Whittaker: Khamzat Chimaev fight good for ‘clout,’ beating Sean Strickland puts me at No. 1

Robert Whittaker sees the benefit of what a win against Sean Strickland could do for his title-shot chances.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] prefers fighting [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] over [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] next.

Fresh off an impressive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) is eyeing a return on the rumored Perth, Australia card in August. With the former UFC middleweight champion having already fought the majority of the top-ranked contenders, he’s yet to face two big names – Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC). But for Whittaker, a fight with former champ Strickland has more perks.

“That’s tricky because that doesn’t move me. It does in clout, but it doesn’t move me higher up in the rankings,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie of a fight with Chimaev. “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.”

Strickland took aim at Whittaker during the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference, implying that he’s one-dimensional. Whittaker could only laugh off his comments.

“Yeah, pretty good blitzing, you know?” Whittaker said. “And everyone knows I do it, so I’m interested to see if he can do something about it, as well. I’ll blitz him, as well.”

Strickland captured the middleweight title in Sydney, Australia when he upset Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. He later lost it to Dricus Du Plessis this past January at UFC 297.

Strickland was very popular amongst the Australian fans, so Whittaker thinks it shouldn’t be too difficult to lure him back to fighting there.

“He had a huge reception here in Australia,” Whittaker said. “I’m sure that the fans would love to see me and him cross paths here on home soil, and he by all looks of it, I think he has fond memories of Australia, right? So, I would think he would be up for it.”

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