UFC legend Georges St-Pierre believes Robert Whittaker has the stylistic tools to give rising star Khamzat Chimaev problems in a potential matchup.
In a recent interview, St-Pierre compared Chimaev’s skillset to that of Yoel Romero, the explosive wrestler that Whittaker defeated twice during his middleweight title reign.
“If there is a guy that can stop [Chimaev], maybe it’s Robert Whittaker,” GSP told Maineventv. “If you look at [Chimaev], we can compare him in a way to Yoel Romero. Romero was a very good wrestler, very explosive and powerful guy, and Whittaker was the kryptonite of Yoel Romero.”
St-Pierre pointed to Whittaker’s karate base, footwork and distance management as being potential keys to neutralizing Chimaev’s wrestling and pressure.
“Robert Whittaker has a very unusual style with his karate background,” he said. “Robert Whittaker utilizes all this karate skill very, very well. And his footwork and the control of distance, he’s a master at it.”
The former two-division UFC champion concluded by saying “If there is a guy at the top who may have that as a possibility to [make Chimaev look bad], it’s Robert Whittaker.”
Whittaker himself responded to St-Pierre’s comments, acknowledging the challenges Chimaev presents but expressing confidence in his ability to solve the puzzle.
“I do think my karate style is different for a lot of people. I think a lot of people find it tricky to deal with,” Whittaker said. “But also I do have the wrestling defense under my belt. I do think he’s going to be trying to push wrestling as it has to be one of his greatest strengths and it’s going to be a hard fight.”
With Chimaev quickly ascending the ranks, a showdown with the former middleweight king Whittaker could be on the horizon should he get past his next tests. Previously Bisping questioned if Chimaev has what it takes to go five roudnds considering he always rushes and gasses after the first round.