Whittaker Doubts Du Plessis, Strickland vs. Chimaev
In December 2024, Robert Whittaker assessed that Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling could give him the edge in hypothetical bouts against Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, the champion’s upcoming challenger. Neither fight had been booked.
Whittaker had faced Chimaev in October 2024, when Chimaev submitted him by face crank at 3:34 of Round 1. That experience informed Whittaker’s view of Chimaev’s grappling advantage. The December report on Whittaker’s assessment did not establish that either potential fight was scheduled. The official Abu Dhabi results record the finish.
The matchups later produced mixed results. Du Plessis beat Strickland by unanimous decision in their February 2025 rematch, then Chimaev took the middleweight title from Du Plessis by unanimous decision in August 2025. Strickland subsequently beat Chimaev by split decision in May 2026 to reclaim the title. The official Sydney scorecards, Chicago scorecards and Newark scorecards document those outcomes.
The tactical concern behind the prediction
Whittaker focused on Chimaev’s opening takedown and the difficulty of preventing him from establishing control. He did not describe the two hypothetical opponents as identical challenges. He expected Chimaev to have more success against Strickland, while noting that du Plessis’ size could make him harder to handle.
He also referred to Chimaev’s previous fights with Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns as possible comparisons. That qualification matters: Whittaker’s prediction was about a grappling advantage, rather than a promise that every opponent would suffer the same early submission he had experienced.
Assessing the prediction afterward
The later results allow readers to separate the original opinion from what happened in competition. Chimaev did win the title against du Plessis, but Strickland later defeated him. Those outcomes make the December comments part of an evolving middleweight discussion, rather than a settled explanation of how every matchup would unfold.
Sources
Tags: MMA
