Khamzat Chimaev proved merienda and for all that he is a clear threat for the UFC middleweight title.
The highly touted mixed martial artist improved to 14-0 by winning a first-round submission with a crushing rear-naked choke over Robert Whittaker in Saturday's co-main event at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev wasted no time and knocked down Whittaker in the opening seconds of the first round, something he often does early in his fights.
Whittaker, a veteran of 23 UFC fights, remained patient and defended intently for a few minutes, but Chimaev worked his way back and eventually grabbed him hard.
The former middleweight champion tapped immediately and appeared to be uncomfortable. Whittaker said after the fight that he felt his jaw dislocate during the submission.
Saturday marked Chimaev's first appearance in a year after he had to deal with a variety of injuries and illnesses.
The showdown with Whittaker, which was scheduled for five rounds despite not being a title fight or main event, was originally supposed to headline the organization's June event in Saudi Arabia. However, Chimaev withdrew during that fight week due to illness. Instead, Whittaker made quick work of substitute opponent Ikram Aliskerov in under two minutes in that event.
Whittaker, affectionately known as “Bobby Knuckles,” had bounced back from a TKO loss to reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis last July with a three-round unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February before looking phenomenal against Aliskerov.
The last time fans saw Chimaev fight before UFC 308 was when he won a three-round majority decision at UFC 294 over Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion who accepted that fight on just 10 days' notice and was making his première at middleweight.
Chimaev, 30, was considered a top prospect from the moment he first stepped into the octagon in the summer of 2020. He fought three times during his first three months in the UFC before experiencing some setbacks in his professional career. . He had victories over Li Jingliang, Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland before defeating Usman.
Whittaker, meanwhile, had been one of the most active top middleweights in the sport over the past decade. The 33-year-old's only losses at 185 pounds were to current champion Du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya (twice). During that time, he also earned victories over previous title challengers Yoel Romero (twice), Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori.
UFC president Dana White said earlier this year, when the matchup was initially announced, that it would serve as an official number one contender fight and that the winner would get a title shot.
Du Plessis became champion in January with a split decision win over Sean Strickland before defending the belt against Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.
If a rematch with Strickland doesn't materialize next, Chimaev will surely be the one to jump the line after such a dominant performance.
fountain
j1M">Source link