Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev Fight Prediction - October 26, 2024
Robert Whittaker
Khamzat Chimaev
On October 26, UFC 308 will take place in Abu Dhabi (UAE), featuring top middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev from Russia, representing the UAE, facing off against former champion Robert Whittaker from Australia. Here’s the expert prediction from the Dailysports team.
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker began training in martial arts at the age of seven and holds black belts in Gojyu-Ryu, Hapkido, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He made his professional MMA debut in 2009, becoming the SFA welterweight champion, and won The Ultimate Fighter in the same weight class in 2012. Since 2014, Whittaker has competed in the middleweight division, capturing the interim title in 2017 and then becoming the undisputed champion.
He lost his title to Israel Adesanya in 2019 and faced him again in a rematch in 2022 but was unable to reclaim the belt. Following that defeat, Whittaker bounced back with a victory over Marvin Vettori, only to be knocked out in a title eliminator against Dricus du Plessis. He quickly rebounded with two wins, with his most recent fight in June ending in a first-round knockout of Ikram Aliskerov.
Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev hails from Chechnya but emigrated to Sweden with his family at 18. He began wrestling at five years old and has won multiple Swedish championships in freestyle wrestling. Chimaev made his professional MMA debut in 2018, competing successfully in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
He debuted in the UFC in 2020 and has won all seven of his fights under the promotion. In his last match last October, he earned a unanimous decision victory over Kamaru Usman. Notably, in 2020, Chimaev suffered from severe COVID-19, which delayed his fight with Leon Edwards multiple times, and at one point, he even announced his retirement from the sport.
Fight Prediction
Chimaev typically starts his fights by attempting to take his opponents down and transition to grappling. Whittaker, however, may struggle to defend against Chimaev’s wrestling prowess. Therefore, his strategy is likely to involve active footwork and counterattacks in response to Chimaev's takedown attempts. We expect Chimaev to secure victory, with the fight lasting at least until the second round.
