Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker? Aussie Reaper targets comeback after brutal Khamzat Chimaev beatdown

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker talks about potentially fighting with Sean Strickland later this year.

Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker? Aussie Reaper targets comeback after brutal Khamzat Chimaev beatdown

Robert Whittaker namedrops Sean Strickland (via Imago/X)

Robert Whittaker‘s last outing at UFC 308 ended in the worst way possible. The former champion lost the bout against Khamzat Chimaev and got his jaw broken during the submission finish. Now, he’s ready to make his comeback, and Sean Strickland is the main target in his crosshairs. 

Before fighting Khamzat Chimaev, Whittaker was on a two-fight win streak, aiming for his title shot. However, he got absolutely thrashed by the undefeated Russian. In a recent podcast, the Australian superstar talked about coming back and even shared his reason to fight Strickland. 

I think Strickland makes a good argument to have because I feel like we’ve both been in that top sort of pond for a while, circling each other. For whatever reason, we haven’t been matched up…It’s most likely the fight to make. I’m excited by that fight.

Robert Whittaker via The On Paper Pod

Whittaker is intrigued by Strickland’s fighting style and believes he can challenge it. Irrespective of his last loss, Whittaker still has the potential to give tough competition to top middleweights. The fighter is 34 years old and will probably retire in the next 3-4 years; for now, Strickland is one of the best options.

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On the other hand, Strickland recently fought Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship. The ‘Tarzan’ got dominated throughout the fight for five rounds, and DDP won the fight via unanimous decision. Strickland broke his nose and disappointed his fans as well as his head coach.

UFC veteran talks about Sean Strickland’s latest fallout with his coach 

Before the fight with Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland promised war, and fans were excited about it. However, the reality was different as the fighter underperformed and didn’t attack throughout the fight. His famous defensive technique was of no use as he got pieced up by the champion.

Sean Strickland loses to Dricus Du Plessis
Sean Strickland loses to Dricus Du Plessis (via X)

After the fight, his coach, Erick Nicksick, shared his doubtful opinion on Strickland’s performance in a podcast. This resulted in the fighter cutting off Nicksick from the position of his head coach. After that, the veteran coach understood his mistake and apologized. Corner UFC fighter Mike Perry also shared his opinion on the matter in his podcast. 

Maybe coach Eric wants the fumes. He wants Sean to light a new fire and take a deep dive and a deep look. Sometimes constructive criticism is really hard to hear and like as a fighter who has dealt with somethings like that I feel like over time eventually I can’t be mad at them for being right. The truth shall set you free.

Mike Perry via Overdogs Podcast 
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After the disastrous performance, many fans are doubtful that Strickland will ever win the title again. Demetrious Johnson believed that the lack of creativity in Strickland’s fighting style caused his downfall. It will be interesting to see how the former champion makes his way back to the top.