Australian mixed martial artist Robert Whittaker has spoken out to set the record straight regarding claims that he was offered a fight with Khamzat Chimaev. Whittaker stated, “Someone has claimed that Chimaev said that I was offered a fight and that I turned it down. This is simply untrue. I was never offered a fight with Chimaev, and that’s the end of the matter. I have not been offered any fights at all. I have been waiting.”

Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa at UFC 284 in February, according to the UFC, but the bout never materialized. The outcome of the middleweight title main event on Saturday’s UFC 287 between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, who has beaten Whittaker twice, may well determine what is next for “The Reaper.”

Whittaker added, “I have been in communication with the UFC, and the message has been ‘let’s wait and see what happens with this title shot.’ I have not received any written contract offering me a fight with Chimaev or anyone else. This is not something that has been put forward to me. I just wanted to clarify that.”