Robert Whittaker foresees big things for Khamzat Chimaev.
Whittaker and Chimaev faced off in the co-main event of UFC 308 back in October, with a possible title shot on the line. The highly anticipated fight was scheduled for five rounds but only ended up lasting one as Chimaev brutally finished Whittaker in the first with a face crank that dislocated several of Whittaker’s teeth. And for Whittaker it was all the more impressive because of how good he felt heading into the fight.
“I felt amazing,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade podcast. “The cut was amazing, I felt strong, I felt fit, I was focused, I was locked in. Everything was picture perfect. Honestly, I can’t say any other way. So I got in there and with a second of the fight starting, I felt real comfortable standing with him. Real comfortable. But then the dude drops to like a millimeter — how do you stop that takedown?!
“Understandably, we did a lot of wrestling, we did a lot of stuff, but mate, it’s so hard to replicate that sort of takedown, that sort of commitment. And props to him. The guy knows his strengths and played into them to a tee. He’s willing to burn it all there for it.
“Anyway, takedown goes in, he ankle picks me off the fence” Whittaker continued. “It was a beautiful takedown. But then we get to the wall work and I felt good. I understood, he has a really heavy sag. He’s not ridiculously strong or anything like that but he had a really heavy sag, and he was really good at making me work. He was really good at making sure he was active. ...
“Even then, I knew that the squeeze that he was pushing on was going to be very hard to sustain that throughout the rounds. This was five rounds, right? And I could feel some of the space opening up later on. But obviously it happens, we transition and then he puts his forearm across my face for the face crank.”
Whittaker has already recovered from the gruesome injury and noted that he actually had problems with his teeth for over a decade before Chimaev’s submission finally did them in.
Nevertheless, to dominate a former champion like Chimaev did is deeply impressive and many called for Chimaev to get the next crack at UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. That may not happen though as UFC CEO Dana White previously declared former champion Sean Strickland as next in line, though he was less committal following UFC 308. And for Whittaker, it’s clear who should get the next crack at du Plessis.
“I’m interested to see what he does next,” Whittaker said. “I think he’s going to be a nightmare for a lot of the dudes in the top-five, because I don’t know how you stop that takedown?
“I think he should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker added. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded ever. But it’s not my call, not my decision.”
Chimaev is 14-0 in his professional career with eight wins inside the UFC. He is currently the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.
