Robert Whittaker denies being offered a fight with Khamzat Chimaev and is waiting for the outcome of the UFC 287 middleweight title event to determine his next move.
Robert Whittaker is addressing claims that he was offered a fight with rising star Khamzat Chimaev. On a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Chimaev told Ariel Helwani that after his UFC 279 victory over Kevin Holland, he was offered a fight with the former middleweight champion. However, on his podcast MMArcade, Whittaker provided his side of the story.
“Someone said that Chimaev said that they offered me a fight and that I turned it down,” Whittaker said. “I was never offered a fight with Chimaev, and that’s that. I haven’t been offered any fight. I’ve been just waiting.” The UFC had previously announced that Whittaker was slated to face Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in February, but the bout never materialized.
With the upcoming UFC 287 main event for the middleweight title between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, who holds two victories over Whittaker, the outcome could determine what is next for “The Reaper.” Whittaker explained, “I’ve been talking with the UFC, and the communication has been, ‘Let’s wait and see what happens with this title shot.’” He also clarified that he has not received any written contract regarding a fight with Chimaev, stating, “That’s not something that has been presented to me. So just clarifying that.”