Tomorrow in the co-main event of UFC 308, we are going to see a highly anticipated potential title eliminator in the middleweight division. A massive five-round matchup between former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-7) and superstar contender Khamzat Chimaev (13-0).
Starting with Chimaev, this is his first fight since last October when he defeated Kamaru Usman by decision in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev came onto the scene back in 2020 when he won three fights in three months. However, since then, he’s had a ton of health issues and this will be just his fifth fight since. He’s still undefeated and he’s still a star, but there are definitely questions with him now.
Chimaev was supposed to face Whittaker back in June at UFC Saudi Arabia. When Chimaev pulled out with an illness, Ikram Aliskerov stepped in. Whittaker knocked him out in the first round which was Whittaker’s second win of the year. He’s trying to get another middleweight title shot and since moving to middleweight years ago, Whittaker has only lost to champions Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis.
UFC 308 Prediction
I really don’t know what to expect from Khamzat Chimaev tomorrow. When Chimaev is on, he is a terrifying individual. He has a great combination of ultra dominant grappling and tremendous power in his striking. Granted it was on short-notice, but he was able to take down Kamaru Usman several times.
The one thing with Chimaev is his cardio. We’ve seen him get tired in fights and that could be a real issue against a guy like Robert Whittaker. Honestly, I think we are going to see a finish at UFC 308 regardless of the winner. Whoever wins this fight is going to finish their opponent.
So, who gets it done? When the fight was first announced, I was thinking Chimaev by second round TKO. However, I can’t shake this feeling that Whittaker will survive the storm. If he survives and Chimaev gets tired, Chimaev is a sitting duck for one of the most dynamic strikers in the middleweight division. I’m going with Bobby Knuckles to get a late stoppage over and exhausted Khamzat Chimaev.
Prediction: Robert Whittaker by TKO