Whittaker admits surprise at being chosen to headline the UFC card in Saudi Arabia

When he received the offer to headline the first UFC card in Saudi Arabia in a fight against Khamzat Chimaev, Robert Whittaker was surprised. In the understanding of the former middleweight champion (84 kg), the top leadership of Ultimate would ‘save’ him for the entity’s numbered event in Australia, his home country, in August. Despite the ‘shock’ and broken expectations, ‘The Reaper’, as he is known, highlighted that he sees the opportunity positively.

In a recent appearance on the ‘MMArcade Podcast’, the Australian highlighted that the confrontation against ‘Lobo’ is a crucial step towards his main objective: to regain the belt in the under-84 kg category. Number 3 in the rankings and coming off a dominant victory over Paulo Borrachinha in February this year, Whittaker could return to compete for the world title if he is the first opponent to beat the undefeated Chimaev in mixed martial arts.

“I’m in a great frame of mind to take on another tough fight. I’m looking forward to it. Every tough fight takes my skills to the next level, and that puts me in line to get the belt back. That’s the goal, right? Obviously I was a little shocked (by the announcement of the fight), because it came out of nowhere. I would have assumed that the UFC would preserve me for the card in Australia in August, I was preparing for that. But I’m happy that the UFC gave me this benefit. This is my path to the title. Furthermore, the fact that the fight is in Saudi Arabia means that it is the first time that the UFC has gone there. So I’m excited to be part of this story. I’ve done this a few times and it’s all engraved in my legacy”, highlighted Robert.