Robert Whittaker: If Khamzat Chimaev doesn't manage his pace, 'it's going to be an early night for him'

Robert Whittaker warns Khamzat Chimaev that his furious starts could cost him in their fight.

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) will look to hand Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) the first loss of his career when the pair meet in the UFC on ABC 6 headliner June 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Chimaev has shown a tendency to slow down in his recent wins over Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, but ultimately outlasted them. “Borz” will enter the first 25-minute fight of his career.

“It’s a five-round fight, so I’m sure his pacing’s got to be a little different, otherwise it’s going to be an early night for him,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia.

Whittaker is wary of the fact that Chimaev isn’t just a strong grappler, but is confident he has the advantage on the feet.

“It’s something to be aware of,” Whittaker said of Chimaev’s striking. “He’s got power. He’s got a very clean one-two down the pipe. I’m aware of it. Definitely not – I’m not underestimating it, but I can handle it. I do think I have the striking superiority.”

Whittaker sees Burns’ close loss to Chimaev at UFC 273 as a similar blueprint he could follow, but plans on displaying a more refined version.

“(Burns) took away (Chimaev’s) strength of grappling and put him in danger in a lot of situations with his striking,” Whittaker said. “In my opinion, my striking is crispier and cleaner then Gilbert Burns’.

“I think my spacing lends itself to make landing those strikes easier, as well as defending takedowns. I think the output is different because I’m going to be able to control the space the way I do.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.