Robert Whittaker follows Demetrious Johnson in blasting fans who called Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis boring

Robert Whittaker (left) and Demetrious Johnson (right) claps back at fans criticizing Khamzat Chimaev
Robert Whittaker (left) and Demetrious Johnson (right) claps back at fans criticizing Khamzat Chimaev's (middle) UFC 319 performance. [Images courtesy: Getty]

Robert Whittaker recently shared his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev's performance at UFC 319. Whittaker questioned the backlash Chimaev received for using a wrestling-heavy game plan against his opponent.

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'Borz' defeated Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 319 to become the new middleweight champion. During the bout, Chimaev recorded a control time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds, which is the second-highest in the promotion's history.

However, many fans were unhappy with Chimaev's strategy, resulting in boos throughout the bout. This prompted a reaction from Demetrious Johnson, who blasted at the onlookers.

In a recent discussion on the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker expressed a similar sentiment while praising Chimaev's performance. He said:

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"Anyone that says it's a boring fight is a casual... If you’re a fan of the sport and you’re not fascinated by Chimaev's ability to control someone as dogged as Dricus, who’s gotten out of things time and time again, who physically never gasses, super strong, has cardio for days. If you’re not fascinated by such one-sided domination, then you have to be a casual."
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'The Reaper' added:

"Because you never see this. This level at a championship fight, this level of control, we just saw someone get crucifixed for 15 minutes. How can you be a fan of the sport and not think, Wow, that’s crazy?"

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below:

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Robert Whittaker names the fighter who has the best chance against Khamzat Chimaev

Since making his UFC debut, Khamzat Chimaev has proven to be an unstoppable force, maintaining an undefeated record of 9-0 within the promotion.

During the aforementioned discussion on the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker mentioned Reinier de Ridder as a potential threat to Chimaev's dominance, saying:

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"De Ridder. I think de Ridder's got a good shot because the person that has Chimaev the closest fight, in my opinion, has been when he fought Gilbert Burns. That was because Chimaev was respectful and cautious of Gilbert's jiu-jitsu game and de Ridder’s a ground player. He’s a tall, bottom player jiu-jitsu guy."
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He added:

"Then, if he does respect his ground, like he did in the Burns fight, and it becomes a bit of a slugfest, I think de Ridder's really unconventional. He’s got some annoying attacks and shots that might give Chimaev some grief."

De Ridder is currently undefeated in the UFC with a record of 4-0. His most recent win came against Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi
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