Robert Whittaker believes Khamzat Chimaev will easily take down and finish Sean Strickland, citing Chimaev's superior wrestling and ground control compared to Dricus Du Plessis, who successfully took Strickland down multiple times. Whittaker acknowledged that Strickland's jab could pose an irritating obstacle for Chimaev's entries. He also noted that Strickland's knee raise when throwing jabs could deter simple takedown attempts, warning that landing on that knee would cause problems for anyone. Despite these defensive tools, Whittaker clearly favors Chimaev's grappling dominance in the matchup.
