Israel Adesanya predicts the end of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308

Israel Adesanya will be paying close attention to the co-main event of UFC 308 between fellow middleweights Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.

Whittaker and Chimaev will fight for a scheduled five rounds this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Having faced Whittaker twice, Adesanya is very familiar with what “The Reaper” has to offer. But Chimaev's wrestling is a major point of contention for the former champion, especially early on.

“I don’t think Rob will run through Khamzat,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Finally we get to see (Chimaev) fight a real middleweight, one of the top middleweights, one of the greatest middleweights of all time.

“I think Khamzat will attack him with wrestling, so Rob will have to fight for his life first and weather the storm, and I think it will be a wrestling-based attack. “I think he will try to subdue Rob. I don't think he'll stand by Rob. Yes, (Chimaev has a chance to score), but I don't think it's a great chance on the feet with Rob because Rob will just shoot him down. Rob will just go in and out, in and out and then blitz.

“I think while Rob is blitzing, Khamzat will take him down. … I think if Khamzat wants to win, he has to get it done in the first or second round and catch Rob early with an assist. I don't think he'll drop Rob. He has good footing and is also hard on his feet, like in the fight with Gilbert Burns and Kamaru (Usman). You can tell he’s on the ground.”

With Dana White saying Sean Strickland is likely next in line for 185-pound champ Dricus du Plessis, the stakes are still extremely high for both Whittaker and Chimaev, with the winner likely to be in the on-deck circle, for a chance to capture the middleweight crown.

Regardless of who emerges victorious, Adesanya is confident that the judges will not be needed. In the end, it all comes down to whether Whittaker can extend the fight toward the championship rounds – which is what “The Last Stylebender” predicts.

“Rob, just weather the storm in rounds one and two and then three, four, five, that’s all, Rob,” Adesanya said. “But again, Rob fought a guy like Romero twice. Romero was hitting him with these crazy fucking takedowns and trying to get him, and Rob was like, “No, I'm getting up.” So Rob knows his stuff.

“How long will he be able to keep Khamzat away from him and will he be able to stop Khamzat's onslaught of takedowns and grappling in the first two rounds? I would say Khamzat will give him up early if he wins, and later Rob will just knock him out in round three, four or five. I don't know which round, but one of them.

“But which one do I want to take? I think Rob is just a guy you can't mess with. I mean, look at his last fight so hopefully people will remember who he is now. That's why I think Rob will do it again – maybe not this soon, definitely not this soon. … I think it will catch up with him later, but he has to weather the storm. He has to survive until he can't anymore. I’ll outdo Rob with a late finish on this one.”