The UFC 308 co-event did not disappoint. Khamzat Chimaev faced Robert Whittaker in what would be a career litmus test. He was almost an eliminator for the middleweight belt, currently in the hands of Dricus du Plessis. The Chechen had no mercy and overwhelmed him in the first round, passing the test with flying colours. It damaged his jaw and several teeth.
Khamzat is always surrounded by hypehe was introduced as the next UFC superstar. Injuries and personal problems have kept him out of the cage, preventing his career from taking off completely. Last night he had a former champion in front of him, a fighter who would be a test for the company and for the fans to know if Chechnya deserved to continue promoting. And he proved it was, he did it in spades.
Chimaev came out like crazy, pushing and sticking to the Australians like he was gum. The pressure was so strong, during a submission attempt, that He was on top of Whittaker, putting him against the fence, damaging his jaw and knocking out some of his teeth. “I felt something wrong with his jaw when I pushed him, so I felt bad about that. I broke someone’s jaw because it’s my job. It doesn’t make me happy, but I have to make money,” the Chechen said calmly at the press conference afterwards. Robert posted a photo on his Instagram account shortly after, showing that he was well and pampering his fans. “Thank you all for all the love and support. It’s hard work sometimes, but that’s the business. Big congratulations to Khamzat, he was the best man tonight and that’s it. I felt great, everything was on point and I was ready. My jaw is fine, but my teeth moved. It’s a good excuse to set them right now ha ha. I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every goal and every challenge, so it’s no different. I want to thank my team and everyone who supported me to get here. It’s time to go spend time with the family for a while. I will be back soon” shared the Australian.
With this victory, he claims the opportunity to fight for the title. “What do you think? How have I done with Rob? “How did he do it?” he asked the journalists present.. When Du Plessis and Whittaker faced each other, the Aussies put it to the test, although the South African was the winner by TKO in the second round. “Rob put him to the ground. If Rob would put him on the ground then, many Salam Aleikum (may peace be with you, in Arabic),” he said. He is clearly loved by the public, the Etihad Arena almost collapsed with his presence.
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