Robert Whittaker doesn’t see how Dricus Du Plessis or Sean Strickland can stop Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling.
Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will rematch Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 main event Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who ran through Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October, is expected to face the winner.
Whittaker had his teeth crushed by Chimaev’s face crank when they clashed, and the former champ doesn’t see Du Plessis or Strickland being able to stop Chimaev’s first explosive takedown.
“I think he just takes them down and does the same thing, like not necessarily to me but how he beat (Kamaru) Usman or how he beat Gilbert Burns,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “I can see those sort of fights.
“I think he’d have more success with Strickland than Du Plessis just because Du Plessis is like a big dude. Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he shoots that first shot is crazy. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?”
Du Plessis edged Strickland by split decision in their first meeting at UFC 297. Despite it being a close contest, Whittaker doesn’t think Strickland can make the adjustments to avenge his loss.
“In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different,” Whittaker said. “Du Plessis is such a dog in there. He’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time?”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
