Robert Whittaker has expressed interest in the potential matchup between UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev.
Whittaker, who recently faced Chimaev at UFC 308 and suffered a quick submission loss that also resulted in displaced teeth, shared his thoughts on the hypothetical bout during a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast.
Rumors of a possible Pereira-Chimaev fight emerged after "Poatan" hinted at an unexpected next opponent. For Whittaker, the prospect of Chimaev moving up to face the Brazilian is intriguing.
I saw a rumor that Chimaev might go up and fight Pereira,” Whittaker said. “Imagine that. Chimaev (will win). Not easily, Chimaev though. Unless the heavyweight strength changes the dynamic. Chimaev will get the takedown, and it’s just that he’s good at what he does; he plays into his strengths.
Despite leaning toward "Borz's" grappling ability as the deciding factor, Whittaker acknowledged the light heavyweight champ's striking prowess and conditioning as potential game-changers, particularly if Chimaev fails to maintain a relentless pace.
But let’s say hypothetically, Chimaev slows down, gasses a little bit, Pereira won’t,” Whittaker added. “He can strike asleep, dead tired—dude’s been doing it his whole life. He’ll kill Chimaev in a standup.
It won’t be like that (Kamaru) Usman-Chimaev fight, where Usman was kind of outboxing him a little bit at that period when Chimaev got tired. It will be a slaughter. But does it go that far?
As speculation builds around this potential matchup, Whittaker’s analysis highlights the contrasting styles of the two fighters: Chimaev’s elite grappling against Pereira’s striking mastery.
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