UFC 308’s Robert Whittaker plans to “hunt” Khamzat, the “super soldier” Chimaev, and leave “Fight Island” with a title shot

It’s hunting season for “The Reaper.”

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion. Robert Whittaker Welcome back Khamzat Chimaev after a year off in the co-main event of UFC 308 this weekend (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) at the Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Whittaker and Chimaev were scheduled to meet at the UFC’s first show in Saudi Arabia earlier this year; However, “Borz” dropped out a week before the fight and Whittaker subsequently dropped out Ikrim Aliskerov (Watch highlights).

With the fight now rebooked and the two middleweight pairs set to face off this weekend (knock on wood), Whittaker is in hunter mode.

“I want to go into this fight and chase it, just like I planned on last fight,” Whittaker told reporters during UFC 308 media day (watch here). “I want to do it again in this fight. I am the hunter in this fight. I am the predator and I will look for him.”

While Whittaker is extremely confident about his upcoming fight, he acknowledges Chimaev’s abilities, even if “Borz” tends to slow down in the later rounds.

“Okay, whether he gassed or not, he still won those fights pretty easily,” Whittaker said. “I expect the best version of him. I expect a man who will tough it out and who will persevere. Okay, I prepared for this. I’ve been training for this because I’m not going to train because I think if I get out in the first round it’s game over. I’m preparing for the best version he can offer me – a super soldier. And yes, I did that… it’s my duty to be there on Saturday night, show up and fight the best I can for 25 minutes, I’m not leaving this country without doing that.”

With a win at UFC 308, there’s a very good chance that Whittaker will be fighting for the middleweight title in his next outing, but that’s still not on his mind.

It doesn’t bother me. I’ve never allowed things I can’t control to affect how I feel or, you know, what I do. I’m here to fight. This is what I get paid for. This is how I put bread on the table for my family. You know, this is my duty to my family. So here I am,” Whittaker concluded.

Remember that MMAmania.com delivers LIVE round-by-round and blow-by-blow coverage of the entire area UFC 308 fight card Right Herestarting with the early one ESPN+ Online preliminary round games, which are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET (Simultaneously broadcast on ESPNews at 8pm ET), before the start time of the pay-per-view (PPV) main card 2 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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