Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has spoken out about his upcoming fight against Hamzat Chimaev, which will take place on June 22 at the promotion's debut event in Saudi Arabia.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has admitted that he wants Belal Muhammad to win his upcoming fight with lower division titleholder Leon Edwards.
According to the latest information, the fight between the American and the Brit will be the main event of UFC 304, scheduled for July 27 in Manchester.
"The more people hate Belal Muhammad, the more I like him (laughs). I want to see Belal with the belt. It would upset a lot of fans, the noise would be fantastic.
I don't want Leon Edwards to lose because I like him a lot. I'm just saying that if Muhammad becomes the champion, it will be funny," Bloody Elbow quoted Whittaker as saying.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shared his thoughts on the possible move of former welterweight division leader Jiri Prochazka to the 84-pound class.
"I like Jiri a lot, but if he goes down to middleweight, we'll be opponents - that's the way we play the game. He has the guts to make 84 kg. But don't get me wrong, this guy has a mental disorder, Jiri is on the verge of a breakdown. If he wants to go down to the middle division, he will - it's hard to say if that would be a good move or not.
It's hard for me to envision him in the middle division as I've seen him in real life. Jiri is a big guy and it's not just about his physicality. He has a strong build, he has broad shoulders, he's pretty tall, about 1.9 meters. Dude, stay at flyweight so we can stay friends (laughs)," - quotes Whittaker Bloody Elbow.
Recall that Prochazka knocked out Aleksandar Rakic in the second round at UFC 300 on April 13.
UFC fighter Rinat Fakhretdinov shared his opinion on the upcoming fight between Hamzat Chimaev and the promotion's former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Rinat advised Hamzat to knockout his opponent in the first two rounds.
"Hamzat will be more dangerous in the first two rounds. If Chimaev doesn't finish the fight in the first two rounds, then it will be difficult with Whittaker afterwards. Although Robert has been missing a lot lately, often falling. We'll be rooting for our own, but Whittaker will give the fight. Hamzat needs to wear down his opponent in the first two rounds".
Recall that the fight between Hamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker will headline the UFC tournament in Saudi Arabia, which will be held on June 22.
UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg believes former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is capable of earning an early victory over Hamzat Chimaev.
The Australian and the UAE-born Chechen will fight on June 22 in the main event of the UFC's debut event in Saudi Arabia.
"The outcome of the fight will depend on Whittaker's performance. If Robert fights like he did against Paulo Costa, he will emerge victorious. I think Whittaker has a good wrestling defense. He also has better standup defense than Hamzat. Robert will beat Chimaev and finish him in the late rounds," Erceg told MMA News.