Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Preview, Where to Watch and Betting Odds

Former UFC middleweight champion and New Zealander Robert Whittaker takes on unbeaten Russian Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight title eliminator in the main event of UFC’s maiden bow in Saudi Arabia. Robert Whittaker, who lost the middleweight crown to Isreal Adesanya, is not afraid to take tough challenges. Last year, Whittaker faced rising contender Dricus Du Plessis and is now gearing up to hand-streaking Russian Khamzat Chimaev his first pro defeat. The Chechen is the bookies' favorite before the June 23 bout in Riyadh at the Kingdom Arena.

MMA: UFC Middleweight

Where to Watch: PPV

Venue: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh

Date: 23.06.2024 00:30

At 33, Robert Whittaker has seen it all in the UFC and keeps going. “The Reaper” has represented Oceania excellently in the promotion, winning the UFC Middleweight gold in 2017. He lost the strap two years later when he was KO’ed by Isreal Adesanya. Now ranked at number three in the 185-pound class, Robert Whittaker continues to take on tricky challenges and unknowns. Last year, he was upset by Dricus Du Plessis, who went on to become Middleweight champ. Du Plessis’s defeat of Sean Strickland showed that Whittaker’s loss was not an outliner.

• Age: 33
• Height: 6’0”
• Weight: 185 lbs (84kg)
• Reach: 73.5
• Record: 25-7

I think he’s a good fighter, and I think he’s got a great headspace for the craft. He knows what he does well, and he goes out there with undoubted confidence in what he can do. And that makes a very dangerous recipe. But it also means 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.

Robert Whittaker

Still ranked outside the top ten of the UFC middleweight standings, Russian Khamzat Chimaev has distinguished himself in the UFC by finishing all but one of his opponents. Last October, he was taken the distance by former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. Chimaev has had more problems with his weight than with his opponents in the Octagon, and his streaking performances have created a legend around him. The 30-year-old three-time Swedish freestyle wrestling champ has names like Gerald Meerschaert, Li Jinglians, Kevin Holland, and Kamaru Usman on his resume.

• Age: 30
• Height: 6’ 2”
• Reach: 75”
• Weight: 185 lbs (84kg)
• Record: 13-0

I’d like to think that I’m going to go in there with a speed advantage and a striking advantage. One of his greatest strengths is that he can force wrestling on people, and I think it will be a little harder to force wrestling on me just because of my distance and my control of spacing. I’m really looking forward to this fight. I think it’s going to be a hard fight. I want 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, which puts me in the perfect direction for a title shot and condition for a title shot, which has always been the goal.

Robert Whittaker

On Betway, Robert Whittaker is a 2.43 underdog. Bet365 prices the New Zealander as a 2.70 underdog, while 1XBet lists over 2.5 at 1.8 odds and the under at 1.95. Read more.