Khamzat Chimaev proved once and for all he is a clear threat to the UFC middleweight title.
The highly touted mixed martial artist improved to 14-0 by earning a first-round submission with a jaw-crushing rear-naked choke over Robert Whittaker in the co-main event Saturday at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev wasted no time getting Whittaker to the ground in the opening seconds of Round 1, something he usually does early in his fights.
Whittaker, a 23-fight veteran in the UFC, remained patient and vigilantly defended for a few minutes, but Chimaev worked to the back and eventually locked in a tight grip.
The former middleweight champion tapped immediately and appeared to be in discomfort. 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 dealt with a variety of injuries and illness.
The matchup 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. Whittaker instead made quick work of short-notice replacement opponent Ikram Aliskerov in under two minutes at that event.
Whittaker, affectionately known as “Bobby Knuckles,” had bounced back from a technical knockout loss to current champ Dricus Du Plessis last July with a three-round unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February before looking phenomenal against Aliskerov.
The last time fans had seen 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 took that fight on only 10 days’ notice and was making his middleweight debut.
The 30-year-old Chimaev was considered a blue-chip 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 to his career trajectory. He added wins over Li Jingliang, Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland before beating Usman.
Whittaker, meanwhile, had been one of the most active high-level middleweights in the sport for the past decade. The 33-year-old’s only losses at 185 pounds were to reigning titleholder Du Plessis and fellow former champion Israel Adesanya (twice). During that time, he also picked up victories over past 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 No. 1 contender’s bout with the winner earning a title shot.
Du Plessis became champion in January by winning a split decision over Sean Strickland before defending the belt against Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.
If a rematch with Strickland does not materialize next, Chimaev will certainly be the one to jump the line after such a dominant performance.
