Khamzat Chimaev has entered the 185-pound division, as he couldn’t lose weight in his last fight. Dana White and the organization felt that he was too big for the welterweight, so he moved up to middleweight. However, he has been struggling to get a fight with a top contender at middleweight. It is yet to be decided who will Khamzat Chimaev fight next. Ex-UFC champion Robert Whittaker shared his honest opinion on Khamzat Chimaev and fighting Paulo Costa.
Robert Whittaker was the champion at middleweight for a long time before he lost to Israel Adesanya. He is still one of the best in the division and a tough fight for anyone.
Robert Whitakker’s honest opinion about Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa:
The Reaper has been in the UFC for a long time. He recently made an appearance on the MMA Hour, where he spoke to Ariel Helwani about his upcoming plans. He touched upon many topics and seems like he is still finding his next opponent in the UFC.
Robert Whittaker was asked about fighting Paulo Costa, to which he said he wouldn’t be fighting him. The Reaper said he was scheduled to fight Paulo Costa twice, but he pulled out both the times. He needs a fight, that’s surely going to happen as he puts in a lot in his camp.
“I have to do a whole camp. I make expenses and costs and everything like that to get to a point where he falls away. This is the second time he’s done it. I would want a fight that’s going to happen” – Robert Whittaker told The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani.
Robert Whittaker on Paulo Costa: “I’m not fighting him because this is the second time I was supposed to fight him and he’s pulled out.”
Robert Whittaker on Khamzat Chimaev: “He’s not in the division rankings.”
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— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 17, 2023
The Reaper said Khamzat Chimaev is not in the division rankings. He said he is not a huge fan of guys just sliding in wherever they want. Whittaker feels the rankings are there for a reason, and he would like to fight the top 5 guys in the division.
The top 5 guys are the best of the best, and they have worked their way through the division to get there. He also feels that it is so much harder to fight everyone and climb to the top of the division and be the best, just like he did.
The fans are still curious to know who Robert Whittaker will fight next, as he has an incredible record of 25 wins and 6 losses in his career.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa?
The fans expected this to be a done deal by now, but no one knows what’s holding the fight back. Khamzat Chimaev needs a fight at 185 pounds and will fight anyone. Paulo Costa has gone back and forth with Chimaev and suggested that he will fight him anytime.
These two also have a backstory. They have had an altercation in the past where they both were training for their own fight during the fight week. Words were exchanged and things went ugly real fast. Nobody could get close to each other, so no action happened.
This could be the fight to make, as fans would get to see how Chimaev performs against one of the strongest in the division. With Adesanya being the champ, Pereira leaving the division and Whittaker saying to fight both these guys, this is pretty much the fight to make.
