Russian sports official Aslanbek Badaev told Match TV the possible cause of the injury suffered by Robert Whittaker in a fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.

Former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker was forced to give up after taking Khamzat Chimaev with an impact on the lower jaw. The fight between Chimaev and Whittaker was the co-main event of the UFC 308 tournament. Chimaev, representing the UAE, won the 14th victory in his career. Later, ex-UFC champion and tournament commentator Daniel Cormier showed a photo showing that Whittaker had suffered a severe jaw injury.

— How do you like the pass to the legs that Chimaev used to pass Robert Whittaker?

“I liked the speed with which he made it, I liked the angle at which he passed, because it’s impossible to defend against such a pass. Khamzat has a very long attack range. He has long limbs, and as you could see, he started almost from the center of the cage and instantly shortened the distance. Due to the length of his limbs, he has very good control, taking either the back or the body. So it is very difficult to defend against his passage, given his leverage. And what I liked most, unlike the fight with Kamaru Usman, he felt calm and did not force himself. He understood that this was his element, that he could work like this for a long time. Whittaker felt it too. He defended himself well and didn’t let his legs tuck in. But when he himself was almost gone, Khamzat climbed up, grabbed his heels and pulled him under himself again. And then Robert seemed to be psychologically broken. He spent a lot of energy defending himself, but Khamzat felt calm.

I was surprised how quickly Robert knocked, but when we were shown a photo of his teeth, I watched the replay and noted the very hard elbows that Khamzat used to finish. They anticipated the move and the damage that Khamzat inflicted during the finishing move became decisive. The reason was precisely the finishing blows, and the technique was already a consequence. He finished him off from a good position and finished him off calmly without emotion. So it seems to me that everyone identified the blows. And it should also be noted that Whittaker’s mouth was open during the struggle, this is a dangerous position. Apparently, when there were finishing blows, this also had an effect.

— Do you think Chimaev will get a title fight?

— I think 100%, there can be no doubt. Du Plessis (champion) will fight Strickland sometime in January or February. Khamzat will have Ramadan almost all of March, then he will recover and in July or August he will fight with the winner of the Du Plesis-Strickland pairing,” Badaev told Match TV.

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