Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is set to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 on Oct 26.
UFC CEO Dana White announced it on Saturday morning.
#UFC308 October 26th from Fight Island, Abu Dhabi!@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/v7FdlGXQzl
— danawhite (@danawhite) August 3, 2024
The two middleweights were originally set to fight at UFC Riyadh in June, but Chimaev fell ill. Instead Whittaker took on Ikram Aliskerov who he defeated via R1 TKO.
Whittaker (26-7) is currently on a two-fight win streak with victories over Aliskerov and Paulo Costa. The former champion could make his case rather strong with a win over Chimaev.
Chimaev (13-0) is undefeated in his pro career with his last fight a victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. After a quick four-fight run with wins over Jingliang Li, Jack Hermansson, Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland, the middleweight has been a question mark in terms of activity.
Also added to the card is a rematch between heavyweights Cyril Gane and Alexander Volkov.
Gane (12-2) defeated Volkov in his third fight in the promotion in 2021. Since then he’s put together a 3-2 record including a title fight loss to current champ Jon Jones.
Volkov (38-10) will enter the octagon on a four-fight win streak with wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexandr Romanov, Tai Tuivasa, and most recently Sergei Pavlovich. The winner would likely be on the short list of challengers for the UFC heavyweight title.
Light heavyweights Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic will also meet in Abu Dhabi on the main card.
Ankalaev (19-1-1) looks to extend his 10-fight win streak in Abu Dhabi. A victory would likely get him a title fight with champion Alex Pereira.
Rakic (14-4) made his return from injury at UFC 300, but lost to former champion Jiri Prochazka. Putting together a 6-3 record in his UFC run so far he looks to get back on track against Ankalaev.
UFC 308 takes place in Abu Dhabi on Oct 26. The card so far is as follows:
- Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – UFC featherweight title
- Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov 2
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
- Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
