Grappling Showdown: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Luke Rockhold at UFC Gym – Video

Preparing for his return to the Octagon later this year in a rescheduled showdown with former champion, Robert Whittaker, unbeaten middleweight star, Khamzat Chimaev employed the help of another former division pacesetter in the form of Luke Rockhold – grappling with the Californian to prepare for UFC 308.

Chimaev, who currently holds the number eleven ranked middleweight rank, has been sidelined from action since last October, landing a close and controversial majority decision win over former welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number one ranked, Kamaru Usman.

And forced from a June return against the above-mentioned, Whittaker in a UFC Saudi Arabia premiere for the organization, Chimaev withdrew from the headliner with the ex-champion, due to a reported “violent” illness.

However, last week, the Chechen-born star was booked once more to take on Whittaker – upon request from the latter apparently, in the form of a UFC 308 co-main event fight in Abu Dhabi, over the course of five rounds.

Khamzat Chimaev rolls with Luke Rockhold in grappling showdown

And already beginning camp for his final quarter comeback to the Octagon, Khamzat Chimaev looks to have linked up with former undisputed UFC and Strikeforce middleweight kingpin, Rockhold – scrambling and grappling with the Santa Cruz veteran on the mats of a UFC Gym.

For Rockhold, the former UFC middleweight champion called time on his mixed martial arts career following a decision loss to former title challenger, Paulo Costa back in 2022, ending his career in the midst of a three-fight losing run.

However, last time out, Rockhold laid waste to fellow striking star, Joe Schilling in a Karate Combat headliner back in April in the United Arab Emirates, scoring a third round knockout win over his compatriot. 

Struggling for activity in the last two years amid injury and illness, Chimaev had scored two impressive wins over both Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland two years ago before his win over Usman, in what appears to have marked his final walk at the welterweight limit following a weight-miss blunder.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev can beat Robert Whittaker at UFC 308?