“A fight with Khamzat Chimaev won’t promote me,” MMAJunkie quoted the Australian as saying. “It’s a high-profile confrontation, but it’s not going to move me higher in the rankings. I want to fight guys in the top five, and a win over Sean Strickland will make me number one again. This is as close to a title fight as you can get.”
The Australian said he hopes the division’s reigning champion, Dricus Du Plessis, to whom he lost by knockout in a challenger fight, will retain his title until their rematch.
“It’s just about getting the belt back. The goal doesn’t change. But since Drikus has the title, I can kill two birds with one stone, and that sounds good.”
Last month Robert Whittaker put his career back on track following his loss to Du Plessis, winning a three-round unanimous decision over former championship belt challenger Paulo Costa.