Warning: this article contains an image with a disturbing and bloody injury to a person’s mouth. Do not scroll down if you can’t take gore.
Fighting Khamzat Chimaev has never appeared to be a fun endeavor, but he provided a a grisly warning in the form of Robert Whittaker’s mouth at UFC 308.
The Chechen middleweight improved his record to 14-0 with yet another first-round finish, this time against a former UFC middleweight champion attempting to stay in the elite ranks of his division. Chimaev needed only seconds to get Whittaker on the floor and proceeded to work him over until getting him with a face crank submission.
It was Whittaker’s first loss by submission since 2011.
There was something odd about the submission, though. Whittaker tapped out as soon as Chimaev got his arm around his face, with an urgency you don’t often see from a guy doing everything he can to survive.
The reason why was quickly apparent. Chimaev’s arm injured Whittaker’s jaw badly, and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier revealed the extent of the damage after the fight. Cormier shared a picture on his phone of three of Whittaker’s teeth bent backwards and his jaw apparently dislocated.
This is the kind of stuff that can happen when you sign up for an MMA career.
Chimaev certainly knew he did something to Whittaker’s mouth, as he told reporters post-fight.
“I felt something was wrong with his chin when I push it, so feels bad for that,” Chimaev said at his UFC 308 post-fight press conference. “Didn’t mean to break someone’s chin, but it’s my work, make somebody [feel] pain. Make me and my family and happy.”
However violent the ending, Chimaev showed he was ready for a title shot with his win on Saturday. He’s had turbulence, with injuries, a badly missed weight at UFC 279 and an announced retirement at one point, but on Saturday he may have finally closed in on the UFC title shot he’s long coveted.
