Khamzat Chimaev brutally submitted Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, and fans were left stunned by the aftermath. *Beware of graphic content*
Chimaev, 30, was simply too good for the Australian middleweight, who could not withstand the early pressure in round one of their contest on Saturday evening.
The Chechnya-born fighter has always been a dangerous competitor but has never been able to consistently compete due to various illnesses and injuries so far during his career.
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However, there have very rarely been doubts about his ability in the octagon. The middleweight submitted Whittaker in the fourth minute of the first round of their fight with a ‘face crank’ - which resulted in an instant tap from the 33-year-old.
After the fight, images emerged on social media showing the extent of Whittaker’s injuries after Chimaev later claimed he felt the Australian’s jaw “click”.
The photograph showed blood in Whittaker’s mouth, with several teeth appearing to be displaced from the rest of his jaw.
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The 33-year-old confirmed he was “all good, but my teeth were moved in” after the bout.
“It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now haha,” he said on social media when thanking fans for their support after the fight.
“I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge, so this is no different.”
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Fans were quick to give their thoughts on social media.
One said: “Do you know how strong your arms have to be to do that to a grown man’s jaw by just choking him ????”
A second added: “Might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
With a third saying: “I would've tapped that quick too.”
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Sports medicine doctor, Brian Sutterer, also gave his thoughts on the injury, explaining how Whittaker may need his jaw “wired shut” when awaiting surgery.
“Treatment of this is going to be some type of surgery to put those teeth and bone back in place, plate and potentially braces across the teeth,” Dr Sutterer explained in a YouTube video breakdown of the submission.
“There’s a real possibility here that Robert Whittaker might have his jaw wired shut for some time… This is a serious, serious injury.”
During the post-fight press conference, Chimaev explained how he felt “bad” for causing the injury to his opponent.
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"Before I came in here, they showed it to me [the picture]," said Chimaev.
"I felt something was wrong with his chin when I pushed it so I feel bad for that. I didn't mean to break somebody's chin, but it is my work to cause somebody pain.
"And make me happy and my family happy. I felt it when I pushed it, and it clicked."
Topics: UFC, MMA, Khamzat Chimaev, Robert Whittaker, Injury
Luke Davies