What is Whittaker's path to victory?

[TankAbbott4Eva]

Rob has to stay out of trouble early and try to keep the fight on the feet. Likelihood is he'll be on his back at some point in the first, has to make sure he can stay out of trouble and scramble well.

Rob should have the better on the feet, if he gets through the first Khamzat's takedowns should become less effective as he tires and he'll win a 29-28 I reckon.

 

[Trabaho]

Not get finished in the first. It's 5 right ? Hurt Khamzat over and over again. Khamzat does get tired and sloppy. Head kick. Punches. Will be a war. Kinda of hard to imagine Khamzat going hard for 5 rounds without gassing. Just have more heart and place crushing blows once Khamzat is tired. Rob proved cardio and heart. He's more battle tested here.

 

[cburm]

Other than waiting for Chimaev to gas out?


For Chimaev, I would say that fighting like he did against Burns is the best path to victory.
Especially considering that Whittaker has been hurt in 8 of his 9 last fights and got dropped by a jab from DDP and Adesanya.
Borz has dropped Gilbert with a jab and GM3 with a cross.

He can use his wrestling too, but it would be better if he just took Robert down and controlled him without wasting too much energy while chasing the choke.

there's so man ways Chimaev can win compared to Robert.
Borz will have all the physical advanatages: Height, reach and is still in his prime.

As for the wrestling, Whittkaer has the best TDD in the MW division.
If DDP, Gastelum and Jacare can take him down then a much better and bigger wrestler like Chimaev can too.


Actually there is one are where Whittaker is dangerous and that is his high kick. He has a fighters arm with that before and scored knockouts agaisnt Jacare and Brunson.
Borz will have to be very careful when blocking that kick.

Anyway, this is a great fight and it will tell us a lot about where both fighters stand at MW.

To keep it standing whittaker should win on the feet.
And to not get nullified or stalled

 

[pamirec]

Experience and being a 5 rounder.

 

[empsim]

Don't get taken down and strangled in the first round.

Whittaker should be a huge favorite if this goes longer than 2 rounds.

 

[Tweak896]

Whittaker has no roads to victory. People are forgetting how DDP's pressure just ran him over. Also overlooking how Whittaker doesn't push the pace like people are expecting him to do to Khamzat. Whittaker isn't going to be a Diaz volume type to drown Khamzat's cardio, also his TDD isn't very draining or physical. Khamzat can only gas himself out and will only do it if close to a finish, if he's close he's going to do what Costa couldn't.

 

[Bork Neslar]

Why the hell do you ask if you already have an answer. Do you need other opinions to confirm your own bias or what?

 

[Uber_Noober]

Serenade him with some sweet, sweet chin music.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Costa actually looked amazing in that fight. Fast and powerful.

Whitaker most likely beat the best version of Costa we have seen.

Yeah, I don’t know why he seems to think either looked bad. Costa added new tools to his game and looked better than ever and Whittaker looked rejuvenated after the DDP loss and looked to me like he's still a title contender.

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

I'd start with hitting in the face a lot and then keep building from there

 

[blaseblase]

I didn't say he did. I said I don't remember him getting rocked and then dominating the rest of a fight, which is the scenario you brought up.

He didn't dominate Romero and certainly not Izzy, and Costa is questionable though he clearly won a comeback there.

That's exactly what you said

"Fighters who really get rocked in round one tend to really sleepwalk the remaining four."

That's a quote from you. Whittaker has had multiple fights where he got rocked and either came back to win or accounted himself well. He's never gotten rocked and been out of a fight.

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

Survive the first 2 rounds wait for Khamzat to gas start striking and finish him with the 1-2 kick

 

[kingghidrah]

That's exactly what you said

"Fighters who really get rocked in round one tend to really sleepwalk the remaining four."

That's a quote from you. Whittaker has had multiple fights where he got rocked and either came back to win or accounted himself well. He's never gotten rocked and been out of a fight.

omg seriously. You shifted the argument from your initial assertion to my comment? ok, fine, but what I was looking at his record for was evidence of being rocked and then dominating. I still don't see it. Maybe he will get rocked and "not be out of it" but that's not what you were suggesting was going to happen, you said he'd get rocked and then dominate. We'll see. Honestly I'd like to see him beat the piss out of Khamzat so I hope you're right.

 

[usernamee]

defend grappling for 1-2 rounds then start to pick him apart