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Robert Whittaker gives honest take on Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated May 22, 2025 7:30 AM ET

Few fighters and pundits can say they've fought Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

One such fighter is Robert Whittaker, who has fought and unfortunately lost to both middleweight bogeymen. 'The Reaper' was knocked out by Du Plessis in 2023 and had his teeth flattened by Chimaev at UFC 308 in 2024.

As Whittaker looks to rebound with a win against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Abu Dhabi later this year, he's keen to give insight into 'DDP' vs. 'Borz' at UFC 319.

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'Keeps me up at night' ... Robert Whittaker sees real danger in Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev

Speaking on the MMA Arcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his honest evaluation of the UFC 319 middleweight title fight. He highlighted Chimaev's takedowns as something that haunts him.

"How do you stop Chimaev's takedowns? I don't think Dricus will stop Chimaev's takedowns. Trust me, it kept me up at night," Whittaker jested. ". . . Once Khamzat gets his hands on you... He's gonna stay there on you.

". . . I believe he will get Dricus down. . . But if he can't put him away, what does he look like coming up in round two, round three? Dricus has got a gas tank. If you don't put him away, he'll keep fighting. He'll keep coming at you with his bombs and punches and his kicks."

Robert Whittaker breaks down Du Plessis vs. Khamzat, saying it all comes down to Khamzat’s takedowns.

"How do you stop Chimaev's takedowns? I don't think Dricus will stop Chimaev's takedowns. Trust me, it kept me up at night. There's a way, but it's tricky. Once Khamzat… pic.twitter.com/kZNx3JkHSp
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 21, 2025

Whittaker effectively describes his losses. Against Chimaev, Whittaker was taken down early and submitted. Against Du Plessis, 'Stillknocks' survived an early bombardment before wearing on Whittaker for a TKO finish.

Du Plessis and Chimaev fight in the middleweight title headliner of UFC 319 on August 16. At the time of writing, they are the only fight on the card.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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