To date, no man has had an answer for Khamzat Chimaev. But former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is backing himself to crack the Chechen fighter’s code.

Whittaker and Chimaev collide this weekend in Abu Dhabi in the UFC 308 main event, with the winner likely positioning themselves in prime position for a 185-pound title shot following the rumoured next title bout between champion Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland — and if Whittaker proves to be that man, he will have to do what no man has yet done in or out of the UFC.

But Whittaker, who defeated Ikram Aliskerov by first-round knockout in his most recent bout this past summer (Aliskerov was previously named by Chimaev as one of his toughest-ever opponents), is more than confident of proving the doubters wrong when the cage door closes in the UAE on Saturday night.

“I am expecting him to come out hard and aggressive from the first second to the last. I have prepared accordingly for that. I’ve prepared for the hardest fight of my life,” Whittaker told reporters, including The Mac Life, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

“To start extremely hard like sprinting for the first 5 to 10 minutes, but also drag it out. I’m ready to sprint for 25 minutes if so. I come here for war.”

In the past decade, just two men — Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis — have engineered victory against Whittaker, and as such he is confident that he has the tools to disrupt Chimaev’s rhythm in the cage.

“I look to go into this fight hunting him. Much like I planned to last fight. I look to do again this fight,” he said. “I’m the hunter in this fight, I’m the predator, and I’m going to be looking for him.”