Robert Whittaker: If Khamzat Chimaev can't stop Dricus Du Plessis on the ground, he loses

USA Today

5 hours ago

Robert Whittaker doesn't see Khamzat Chimaev surviving a five-round war with Dricus Du Plessis.
Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the UFC 319 main event on Aug. 16 from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Whittaker suffered stoppage losses to both Du Plessis and Chimaev. He was quickly submitted in his most recent outing against Chimaev at UFC 308 last October. However, with Chimaev showing a tendency to slow down in his only two decision wins against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, Whittaker questions his ability to survive the championship rounds against Du Plessis – if he's dragged there.
"Honestly, I have to say Dricus would be a favorite," Whittaker told FOX Sports Australia. "I think I'm leaning towards Dricus. The whole thing can be summed up – Chimaev will take him down. It's will he finish him before he gets back up? That's the million-dollar question because if he doesn't finish him on the ground, I think he loses."
Former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will look to rebound when he takes on Reinier de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
"Four fights, I see the light at the end of the tunnel," Whittaker said on his future. "I want four more. I see the stepping stones needed to do what I want to do. Four fights gets me into that title shot, gets me into a position to finish on top, to have that fairytale ending. So, I'm working towards it."