- Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev will stop Alex Pereira in a rumored showdown
- “The Reaper” explained how “Poatan” could also beat “Borz”
Robert Whittaker could see Khamzat Chimaev outmatching Alex Pereira on the ground but not in the standup.
Robert backs Khamzat to beat Alex
Speaking to his MMArcade podcast, “The Reaper” predicted Chimaev to be taking the fight with Pereira to the ground and capitalize on his elite grappling.
“I saw a rumor that Chimaev might go up and fight Pereira. Imagine that… Chimeav [will win]. [But] not easily… Unless the heavyweight strength changes the dynamic. Chimaev will get the takedown and it’s just that he’s good at what he does and plays into his strengths.”
Bobby Knuckles picks Khamzat to beat Alex Pereira pic.twitter.com/2VslfPODXp
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) December 20, 2024
How Alex could beat Khamzat
However, Whittaker also pointed out a way for “Poatan” to finish “Borz.” According to the former middleweight champion, Chimaev could beat Pereira in the early rounds but the Brazilian will surely be able to turn things around and maul “Borz” with his striking in the later rounds.
“But let’s say hypothetically, Chimaev slows down, gasses a little bit, Pereira won’t. He can strike asleep, dead tired, he’s been doing it his whole life and he’ll kill Chimaev in a standup, it won’t be like that Usman-Chimaev fight where he was outboxing him a bit after he got tired. It will be a slaughter. But does it go that far?,” Whittaker assessed.
Both Pereira and Chimaev are coming off incredible wins. Pereira defended his light heavyweight title by stopping Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, while Chimaev finished Whittaker with one of the most brutal submissions in MMA history at UFC 308.
It is yet to be known if the pair are being considered for a showdown but if they will, it will surely be a massive fight.
