[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] approached the UFC about putting together the [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] fight again.

Whittaker (26-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) and Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) were scheduled to headline UFC on ABC 6 in June, but health issues forced Chimaev out. Whittaker faced Ikram Aliskerov instead, knocking him out in the first round in Saudi Arabia.

Now Whittaker and Chimaev will try again when they square off in a three-round bout Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Whittaker asking for the fight may come as a surprise considering Chimaev's recent inactivity, but the former UFC middleweight champion explained why he wanted the fight rescheduled.

"Unfortunately, the business is not completely run on merit," Whittaker said on his "MMArcade Podcast." "A lot of it is, but there's a lot of times and moments when it's just not. Chimaev is a hard fight. He's obviously a big draw, especially over there in Abu Dhabi. He's done the welterweight thing. He's done the middleweight thing.

"So, he's a draw, and I think the UFC, story-wise, wants to see Chimaev get a shot at the champion. They want to see Chimaev up the top of the ladder. They want to see him in that picture. But I love disrupting their plans. I love derailing their stories, and that's why I took the fight. I asked for the fight. It wasn't offered to me."

Whittaker also sees Chimaev as the perfect path for an opportunity to reclaim his middleweight title.

"I saw that there was an Abu Dhabi card in October, timeline fits perfectly, and I was like, 'I'll fight Chimaev again,'" Whittaker said. "Let's do it again. Just make sure he turns up (laughs). I look forward to hard fights, I look forward to these fights, and I know that if I beat Chimaev there is nothing in my way to getting my belt back."

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Robert Whittaker reveals he asked for Khamzat Chimaev rebooking: 'I love disrupting (UFC's) plans'