‘Throw him back to Australia’: UFC bogeyman’s ‘kangaroo’ threat to Rob Whittaker in chaotic press conference

Australia’s Robert Whittaker has been urged against jumping around like a kangaroo – and warned he will be finished — during a chaotic UFC 308 press conference that saw, among other things, Dana White sign a fighter from the crowd.

Or at least it appeared the UFC boss did.

Just as he also left the door ajar for Whittaker to leapfrog Sean Strickland into a world title fight.

Yet for Alexander Volkanovski?

UFC 308: TOPURIA VS HOLLOWAY plus Australia’s Rob Whittaker taking on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev | SUN 27 OCT 5AM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.

Well, his future only seems more unclear.

With Australia’s other MMA megastar, who has vowed to face Sunday’s blockbuster main event winner, not exactly guaranteed as much.

Yet as for the headliner itself?

That is the greatest fight you can make anywhere on the roster right now.

And one that also had plenty of press conference fireworks between new UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria – who took said crown by knocking Volk out – and Hawaiian legend Max Holloway, who that greatest of Windang concreters has beaten three times.

Like Topuria, for example, stressing again how he will point to the Octagon floor in the very first round of Sunday’s fight, just like Holloway so famously did when winning the BMF title from Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

To which Blessed says what?

“He didn’t deserve that kind of moment,” Holloway started, before then explaining how, in previous fights, Topuria had not taken such an opportunity when it arose.

“Who f***ing ask you if I deserve it,” the champ shot back. “I’ll point to the ground if …”

Holloway: “Brother, we’re adults, let me talk”.

Topuria: “Stay quiet”.

Holloway: “Calm down, brother”.

Topuria: “I don’t even ask you if I deserve it.

“I will point to the ground and you can do whatever you want.

“You can stay in the middle and shake the hand. Or if not, run away and I will cut you anyway.”

Holloway: “We are days away.”

Topuria: “Trust me … trust me …”

Holloway: “Trust you?”

Topuria: “You’re going to wake up from a long sleep”.

Holloway: “We’re days away brother.”

There was also plenty of entertainment between Whittaker and his co-main rival, undefeated UFC bogeyman Khamzat Chimaev.

While Bobby Knuckles smiled, and joked, his way through most of the press conference – at one point, likening his global appeal to no more than “my good looks, mate” – things undeniably changed at the face off.

Indeed, as the fighters moved close together on stage, Chimaev appeared to take one extra step late, creating an intense few moments between two men White described as the greatest match up anywhere in the middleweight division.

While now five years removed from being crowned Australia’s first ever champion, Whittaker is suddenly again looking to punch his way into yet another title bout on Sunday’s blockbuster Abu Dhabi card.

With many, including UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, suggesting a big win for Bobby Knuckles should see him usurp Strickland as the new No1 contender for champ Dricus du Plessis – and potentially in a Sydney headliner next February.

But in his way, of course, is Chimaev.

That undefeated UFC bogeyman who, while at one point praising his future Hall of Fame rival on stage, also promised to finish, him

UFC 308: TOPURIA VS HOLLOWAY plus Australia’s Rob Whittaker taking on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev | SUN 27 OCT 5AM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.

Asked early on in this one about Whittaker’s fight week pledge of being ready to go five rounds, or 25 minutes, to win, Chimaev shrugged: “I don’t think we’ll need 25.

“I’m here to finish somebody.

“I’m here to fight, man.

“Maybe (he) come here and jump around like a kangaroo, I don’t know.

“I’m here for a fight.

“And first to last, I’ll try to finish the guy.”

It was a theme the Chechnyan doubled down on soon after when a media member asked Whittaker about the best way for Aussie fight fans to attack the Pay-Per-View card — given the time difference in Abu Dhabi means it will be shown live on Main Event and Kayo Sports from 5am Sunday.

Put simply, Whittaker was asked, should his fans go to bed early and set alarms, or stay up, have a few bevvies and punch through to watch him win?

“Ummm,” Whittaker started, before being quickly cut off.

“It will be a bad morning for you guys,” Chimaev interjected.

“I didn’t ask you,” the media man replied.

“F*** off,” Chimaev shot back, before then urging his Abu Dhabi fans to “take out this s*** … throw him back to Australia”.

Whittaker, unsurprisingly, seemed unfazed by the back-and-forth.

Same as he also looked untroubled when asked if Chimaev was the roster’s best wrestler right now.

“He very well might be,” the Aussie said.

“The thing is though, we aren’t wrestling.

“(But) I’ve heard it’s really good.

“He says it’s good. And everyone else agrees.

“So show me.

“I’m ready.

“I want it.”

Elsewhere, Topuria also suggested his own headliner against Holloway would not go even three rounds, stating: “The referee can take a break for this fight … I’m going to finish him in the first round”.

To which Holloway replied: “See what I did there?

“I let you answer like an adult.

“That’s what you do in these things. Thank you”.

Cue applause.

During the exchanges, Topuria also accused Holloway of being a fake BMF champion.

“When I point to the ground he’s not going to come because he’s not the real BMF champion,” the Spaniard said.

“This belt was created for (Jorge) Masvidal.

“He’s just a fake BMF.

“And he’s going to see when I point to the centre of the Octagon who is the real one.”

Asked what he planned to do in victory – defend at featherweight against Volk, defend the BMF, rematch Topuria, even move up to lightweight — Holloway simply nodded his head towards White and said: “That’s up to the boss man.

“Whatever he says, I’ll do it.

“Ask him.”

So they did.

With White suggesting only that he would need to see how Sunday’s card plays out before deciding how those two fights atop the card shape their respective divisions — and more specifically, Australia’s two biggest MMA stars.

The press conference also included several other bizarre moments, including when White seemingly agreed to sign a random guy from the crowd who grabbed the microphone and – after reeling off his 9-0 record — asked exactly that of the UFC boss.

Never had a manager, he explained to White.

“Done it all by myself,” he shouted. “Please give me chance Dana, I want to fight in UFC.”

After a brief exchange between the two – in which the UFC boss also confirmed his age, 25, and the fact he was a lightweight – our anonymous hero was then called onto stage.

There, the pair shook hands, before the fighter was then nodded to go see someone off to the side.

His future, apparently, far better than it had been moments earlier.

But as for any guarantees surrounding Volk, Bobby Knuckles and co?

“We have to see how the fights play out,” White grinned.

UFC 308: TOPURIA VS HOLLOWAY plus Australia’s Rob Whittaker taking on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev | SUN 27 OCT 5AM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.