Media Whittaker on how he will fight Chimaev, who is likely to win Izzy vs DDP

[Unheralded Truth]

The goal is, much like against my other opponents, to go out there and fight my fight. It's about going out there and pushing my gameplan onto him. Then see how he adjusts
to me because I bring an arsenal of skillsets, that he's not ready for I believe. And I think the shortest way to victory is obviously not playing to his strengths, which means no
engaging in the wrestle. But not be afraid of it, I could wrestle, I can wrestle with the best of them and I have shown and proved that. But I'm gonna go in there and fight my fight,
so a stand-up fight and I'm going to see where it goes, I want to drag it out. It's a five round fight, I've been in a plenty of those and got no quit in me. So let's see, how this goes.

He's definitely got a really sound jiu-jitsu game, but he's mixing it really well with his wrestling, and I think what a lot of people aren't ready for is that mixture of the two. You know,
that he's making it really MMA-esque, like utilizing it up against the wall, utilizing his strength with those long arms and tall frame. To just push his gameplan on the fence, and
to push it into the ground. So whilst I think he's definitely very dangerous there, I am very confident in my own skillsets, like even if this was for a pure wrestling or jiu-jitsu format.

Certainly, beating Chimaev here opens me up for a title shot. Yeah, it's no other way around it. I've beaten everyone else and to beat the Boogeyman of this division, you know
the guy that everyone else doesn't want a bar of, just makes me look real good.

Before fighting Dricus, and I guess also before Dricus had won the belt, you would have thought 'Adesanya will piece this guy up for five rounds'. But saying that, like, he has
surprised a lot of people. He's surprised me (laugh). You know, he's got a lot of dog in him, a lot of heart and he's making clean fights awkward. He makes fights awkward,
because he pushes his ugly style onto you and he's just resentless pursuiting. He's got a lot of grit in him, so I can now see him making it awkward and messy. Making it into
a dog fight against Adesanya, which we saw with that Strickland fight, if you push Adesanya like that things fall heavily into your favor. So I can see that happening, but I can
also see Adesanya just piecing him up for five rounds (laugh), so I don't know.

 

[Shaolin Alan]

tl;dr

 

[Shaolin Alan]

JK: Robert need to avoid getting KOd in the first and then pick apart a gassed Khamzat.

His observations over Dricus & Adesanya appear fair.

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

Honestly, I hate when people say they are going to avoid what someone is really good at. That's like saying you are going to fight GSP and avoid the wrestling.

No...you aren't. You are going to get taken down. That's the mindset you need to have. Now what? Bobby is well rounded so hopefully he can avoid the submission until Khamzat gasses but saying you are going to avoid the wrestling is delusional. Khamzat is too good and if he wants you down, you are going down.

 

[Steve Fox]

One of them will either win by submission, knockout or decision. This is my Sherbro take.

 

[BrockLesnarsTurtleBack]

One of them will either win by submission, knockout or decision. This is my Sherbro take.

 

[Steve Fox]

 

[Istryker]

So is he only working on TDD or does he have a plan if he gets taken down?

 

[CasualBot]

Goofy kid responses in this thread



Whittaker took the fight when most "fighters" were avoiding Hamfat like the plague.

 

[Tweak896]

I mean his strategy is pretty clear, keep it on the feet and if he can't try and survive to gas out Khamzat. No strategy really needed. Takedowns vs TDD, plus cardio management.