UFC 308 proved to be a night to forget for Robert Whittaker, as he lost to Khamzat Chimaev in the evening's co-main event and suffered a gruesome injury in the process.
Chimaev was easily able to take Whittaker down and maintained complete control, never letting the former champion get out of his grasp for most of the fight. "Borz" landed a devastating elbow on Whittaker before locking in a face crank, which saw the Australian tap almost immediately.
During the UFC 308 commentary team's wrap-up at the end of the pay-per-view, Daniel Cormier displayed a graphic image of the hold's aftermath, showing Whittaker's front teeth damaged and sparking fears of a jaw fracture.
Whittaker took to social media early on Oct. 27 to release a statement following the loss.
Robert Whittaker Says His Jaw 'Is Good' Following UFC 308 Loss To Khamzat Chimaev
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With the win, Chimaev improved to 14-0 in his career, including an 8-0 Octagon record. It was his first win since his triumph over Kamaru Usman one year ago.
Whittaker and Chimaev were originally supposed to fight in June before the latter withdrew due to illness. "The Reaper" defeated short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov on that card in Saudi Arabia.
Chimaev became just the third person to defeat Whittaker at 185 pounds since the former champ moved up to middleweight about a decade ago. The other two are names that have also gone on to win the UFC middleweight belt -- former two-time champ Israel Adesanya and current kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.