Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has a firsthand understanding of what it takes to face Khamzat Chimaev—and his prediction for UFC 328 won't sit well with Sean Strickland's biggest supporters.

Whittaker, who suffered a cracked jaw and multiple broken teeth during his submission loss to "Borz" at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, knows the devastation Chimaev can bring inside the Octagon. Now, he's sharing his brutally honest take on the upcoming headliner between Chimaev and former 185-pound titleholder Sean Strickland.

"We want to see if Strickland has what it takes," Whittaker told Paramount. "All the things he's talking, he talks a big game. He almost convinces me that he can do it. But having been in there with Chimaev, having seen what Chimaev can do, once he gets his hands on him—and he will. Because he shoots from so far away and he commits wholeheartedly, and he will get you to the mat. It's what happens after. Seeing that he has the cardio to be able to do that for five rounds as well, mate… gun to my head, Chimaev is gonna run him over."

The stakes are sky-high for this UFC 328 clash, scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Chimaev enters the bout undefeated at 15-0 with 12 finishes, a perfect record that has terrorized the middleweight division. Strickland, meanwhile, has already proven he can handle a fighter named "Khamzat" before—but facing the undefeated "Borz" is a different beast entirely.

As the betting odds suggest, Chimaev remains the moneyline favorite to extend his streak. For Strickland fans hoping to see their man pull off the upset, Whittaker's warning serves as a sobering reality check from someone who has lived through the Chimaev experience.