Robert Whittaker's manager claims Sean Strickland declined fight with 'The Reaper' as they target a shock leapfrogging
09/06/2024 05:08 AM
Following Dricus Du Plessis' dominant win over Israel Adesanya, speculation from the MMA community has been that the next title challenger would be either Sean Strickland or Robert Whittaker.
An easy solution would have been to book the two former middleweight champions against each other in a Number One contender's matchup; something that the UFC apparently tried to do only a few months ago.
Robert Whittaker's manager says Sean Strickland declined fight offer
As Robert 'The Reaper' Whittaker once again prepares to face undefeated phenom Khamzat Chimaev, the manager of the legendary Australian fighter has revealed that the UFC initially planned to have him face Sean Strickland.
Speaking to Submission Radio, manager Titus Day claimed that not only did the promotion try to make Whittaker vs Strickland after his superb KO win over Ikram Aliskerov in June, but that it was the divisive American who declined the fight offer.
"Sean's obviously taking a very different strategy in sitting there and waiting – he's probably got a legitimate call for the title, but Rob wants to fight; I mean that's how he makes a living.
"Straight after the last fight in Riyadh, they said to us straight away 'Does Rob want to fight [him]' like literally on the day. They said, 'Does Rob want to fight Sean in Perth?' and we said straight away, 'Absolutely'…. Apparently, he said no so that was it."
According to the veteran manager, with Strickland refusing to fight, it was only then that the UFC opted to try to rebook the fight with Khamzat Chimaev; that contest is now set to take place on the main card of UFC 308 on October 26, in Saudi Arabia.
"We knew there was going to be another Abu Dhabi card coming up and Rob loves fighting there and so he just said 'Yeah', they said, 'Do you want to fight Khamzat again?' and he said 'Sure'."
Given Whittaker's 'anyone, anywhere, anytime' attitude and his current win streak, Day believes that there could be an opportunity to leapfrog Strickland and get that title shot next.
An impressive win in October could see Whittaker leapfrog Strickland
"It's difficult to know what the UFC is thinking of what they're going to do [next]," acknowledged manager Titus Day, before quickly noting that if there's anything that opens doors for MMA fighters, it's activity.
"But I know they [the UFC] like fighters that are active, they like fighters who don't say no – and they don't like fighters that sit around and wait."
Dana White had previously stated that no matter the result of the fight between 'The Reaper' and 'Borz' in October, it'll be Sean Strickland who gets that next shot at champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Yet the Whittaker team believes that until it's that date is written into stone, there's an opportunity to leapfrog Strickland in terms of the title shot; and even in the worst-case scenario, secure his status as the next title challenger for 2025.
"If Rob goes out and has any sort of win against Khamzat, especially if it’s impressive, his next fight will be for the title – whether they slip in a Strickland fight in the meantime, I'm not sure [but] I doubt it."
Whilst there are a whole host of fighters vying for a place at the top of the 185lb tree, a dominant victory or viral finish of Chimaev would make Whittaker's title aspirations 'undeniable'.
"They're some interesting fights playing out in the middleweight division, you've got Imavov fighting Allen and that's going to be really close. You've got Caio Borralho who's killing everyone – he probably will have to fight Izzy or someone next.
"But obviously, Rob vs Khamzat – if Rob beats Khamzat then there's no dispute, they can't possibly ask him to fight someone else. It's undeniable if Rob beats Khamzat."
Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev is set for October 28, on the main card of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
