Robert Whittaker says he’s “coming for war” against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308: “Hardest fight of my life”

Robert Whittaker is expecting a war against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.

Whittaker and Chimaev are rebooked to fight in a pivotal fight at middleweight with the winner likely getting a title shot. It’s an intriguing matchup and one that Whittaker knows will be a tough out for him.

Although Robert Whittaker is expecting a back-and-forth war, he is confident in his skill set that he will leave Abu Dhabi with the win.

“I am expecting him to come out hard and aggressive from the first second to the last,” Whittaker said at UFC 308 media day. “And I have prepared accordingly for that. I’ve prepared for the hardest fight of my life. To start extremely hard. Like sprinting for the first 5 to 10 minutes. But, also drag it out the five (rounds). I’m ready to sprint for 25 minutes if so, and I’m coming for war.”

As Whittaker says, he’s expecting to bring the fight to Khamzat Chimaev and drag the scrap into the later rounds. Should he do that, he expects Chimaev to slow down which will lead him to getting the win.

Robert Whittaker believes his experience will be the difference

Robert Whittaker will make the walk to the Octagon for the 23rd time on Saturday against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.

Whittaker believes that experience will be the difference as he knows what to do in different scenarios, which he doesn’t think is the case for Chimaev.

“Experience. I’m good at what I do. I’m a different fighter than he’s fought before. I guess maybe the fact that I know how to lose, it gives me strength, it gives me a reason why I don’t like being there, why I don’t want that to be my reality. It sucks, so I’m going to go out there and give him a taste of it,” Whittaker added.

Robert Whittaker is the betting underdog at UFC 308 but has confidence he will be able to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first career loss.

Whittaker is 26-7 as a pro and is riding a two-fight winning streak. He’s a perfect 2-0 this year with a KO win over Ikram Aliskerov and a decision win over Paulo Costa.