According to Robert Whittaker ’s manager, the initial plan was to have him fight Sean Strickland . Whittaker’s manager, Titus Day, said the UFC approached Whittaker (26-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) with another fight right after he knocked out Ikram Aliskerov at UFC on ABC 6 in June. Day said the name they offered was Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) at UFC 305 in Perth, but Strickland rejected the offer. After rebounding from his title loss to Dricus Du Plessis with a win over Paulo Costa, Strickland made it clear that he doesn’t intend on fighting again unless it’s for the title . With Strickland allegedly turning down Whittaker, “The Reaper” was rebooked against Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the UFC 308 co-main event Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi