Robert Whittaker has given his immediate reaction after being booked to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC On ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 22nd.
“I do understand the task at hand,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “It’s going to be hard, and I’m going to be grinding my ass off this camp. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good thing that after last fight, I didn’t have any injuries.
“The body’s good. They offered me the fight. I fought four (or) five weeks ago at this point. I’m ready. Just give me another one. I’m in a great headspace to take another hard fight. I’m looking forward to it. Every hard fight pushes my skills to that next level, and this gets me in line to get the belt back – and that’s the goal.”
Whittaker earned a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, which leaves him ranked No.3 in the division heading into his clash with Chimaev, who beat Kamaru Usman by majority decision in his last outing to extend his unbeaten career record to 13-0.
“He’s a hard fighter. He likes to grapple a lot,” Whittaker said of Chimaev. “He uses his reach and range to good effectiveness. He’s got good knockout power. He likes to play the villain against his opponents, but he’s an honorable fighter.
“We’re going to get in there and we’re going to have an honest fight. We’re both going to leave it in there. He’s not a quitter, I’m not a quitter, so I look forward to making history in Saudi Arabia.”
