Khamzat Chimaev to face Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, surprises fans with reaction to official announcement

Khamzat Chimaev will take on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in his next fight. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup as the headliner of the first-ever UFC card in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on June 22.

Chimaev's reaction on X (formerly Twitter) was an unexpected one, as 'Borz' used a popular Indian meme from the Hindi-language film, Phir Hera Pheri. The meme features Bollywood actor and comedian Johnny Lever saying a phrase which roughly translates to "the fun starts now."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's post on X below:

Indian fans enjoyed Chimaev's post and backed him, with many explaining or translating the meme for those who did not understand Hindi. Some fans even promoted the fan-favorite movie.

They flooded the comments section and wrote:

"Khamzat posting an indian meme [face with tears of joy emoji] I have seen everything."

"Khamzat knows India got his back"

Other fans offered their predictions for the matchup between the two and analyzed how the fight may play out.

"Khamzat gonna smash the tattoos out of him"

"Robert is to Technical and has to much experience. His footwork is great and he batters Khamzat standing on the feet. With that being said I got Khamzat in 1 by Standing Rnc"

Check out some of the fan reactions in the screenshots below:

Fans react to Khamzat Chimaev's usage of a Bollywood meme. [via X]

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Robert Whittaker's past comments on Khamzat Chimaev and how they matchup against each other

Khamzat Chimaev will fight for the first time this year against Robert Whittaker, who was last seen in the octagon when he emerged victorious against Paulo Costa at UFC 298.

Although Whittaker and Chimaev have had very little tension between themselves and have not explicitly called each other out, 'The Reaper' had already offered his take on a potential bout between the two in 2022.

Whittaker stated that he resort to leg kicks and fancied his chances against Chimaev's wrestling due to his past experience. He said:

"It would be tricky. I'd be firing those kicks down the middle like you would not believe. I don't think my right foot would touch the mat. He's a tough guy. I've fought wrestlers before, though. I've fought Yoel Romero, who's a silver medalist. Granted he's not that type of grappling guy, but that's something I haven't really thought about and will have to try and digest when we get there."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments on facing Khamzat Chimaev below: