Max Holloway thinks Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated run will come to an end in Abu Dhabi.
Before ‘Blessed’ steps into the main event spotlight at UFC 308 this Saturday night at Etihad Arena, fans will see Chimaev return to the Octagon for the first time in a year when he meets former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a fight that could produce the division’s next title contender.
Appearing on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast, Holloway offered his take on the highly anticipated clash between ‘Borz’ and ‘The Reaper’ and who he sees coming out on top in the high-stakes scrap.
“I think Robert Whittaker is a beast,” Holloway said. “His IQ is high, he’s smart…I’m rolling with Robert Whittaker all the way. Even if you watch the Kamaru Usman fight against Khamzat…when Kamaru wrestled back with him, that’s how Kamaru lost. When Kamaru decided to be like ‘I’m not going to wrestle this motherf***er, I’m going to 2 and 1 him with the hands, push his head to the ground and not wrestle back’…control, hand fighting and get away, push him off, he actually got away…
“So one of the best guys that can hand fight and can wrestle, is Robert Whittaker, just because his striking is so damn good and that’s what he does,” Holloway continued. “It’s a five-rounder…we’ve seen Khamzat get tired in three rounds, he should be training for five rounds, we all know. But it’s still his first one. Robert’s been fighting five rounds forever, that guy is just a vet. A legend, an OG of the sport. I think if he goes out there with that anti-wrestling mindset and doesn’t get held down too much, I think he can land something [big]” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Whittaker looks to snap Khamzat Chimaev’s streak
While Khamzat Chimaev goes into UFC 308 with a perfect 13-0 record, his appearances inside the Octagon have been few and far between. Since 2020, ‘Borz’ has only competed four times, earning wins against Li Jingliang, Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, and Kamaru Usman
Meanwhile, Whittaker has competed six times during that same run, going 4-2 in the process. Originally, ‘The Reaper’ was set to fight Chimaev at UFC Saudi Arabia in June, but ‘Borz’ bowed out of the bout with less than two weeks to go until fight night. Instead, Whittaker went on to score a first-round knockout against Ikram Aliskerov.
Whittaker hopes that matched with a big showing against Chimaev will earn him a rematch with reigning middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis.
