Yikes. Check out this gnarly UFC 308 photo of Robert Whittaker’s injuries from Khamzat Chimaev’s squeeze.
No wonder [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] quickly tapped at UFC 308.
Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) sustained serious damage to his jaw and teeth, according to a photograph shared by [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] at the tail-end of the pay-per-view broadcast Saturday.
While the exact injury is unclear, the photo shows Whittaker’s front bottom teeth dislodged awkwardly back toward his throat inside his mouth, filled with blood.
The damage sustained came during his first-round submission loss to [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Eithad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev immediately dragged Whittaker to the ground and relentlessly smothered him, until he got a grip and squeezed. A face crank resulted in a quick tap from Whittaker, at 3:34 of Round 1.
Check out an image of the damage done (via Daniel Cormier/ESPN MMA broadcast) below:
Daniel Cormier shows a picture on the broadcast of Robert Whittaker's mouth/jaw from Khamzat Chimaev's squeeze at #UFC308 😳 pic.twitter.com/RbCJC0jtDC
Check out the best photos from Khamzat Chimaev’s first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, special to MMA Junkie; MMA Junkie; UFC)
Dec 7, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back DJ Daniel (14) reacts after a pass break up against the LSU Tigers in the second quarter in the 2019 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] returned in emphatic fashion.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former champion Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) to secure a face crank submission at the 3:34 mark of Round 1. The middleweight bout was the UFC 308 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Less than 20 seconds into the fight, Chimaev stormed in with a takedown. He was able to get one hook in as he worked for the rear-naked choke. Whittaker defended well, as Chimaev continously tried to drag him down. Chimaev finally took his back, but Whittaker exploded out. However, Chimaev was able to jump on his back again. His pressure proved to be too much as he was finally able to get across Whittaker’s face, forcing him to tap quickly.
IT'S OVER! Khamzat Chimaev chokes out Robert Whittaker in ROUND ONE 😱
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 308 odds between Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev, with MMA picks and predictions.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
In a 5-round middleweight bout on the main card, Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev meet Saturday at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’sUFC odds around the UFC 308: Whittaker vs. Chimaev odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 2 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.
Records: Whittaker (27-7-0) | Chimaev (13-0-0)
The former champ Whittaker is looking to position himself for another title shot. Since losing to Israel Adesanya at UFC 271 for the title, he has rebounded with 3 wins in the past 4 fights, with only a 2nd-round KO/TKO against current champ Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290.
Whittaker has ended up going the distance in 6 of his past 8 fights since July 25, 2020, while going the distance 8 times in the previous 11 outings.
Chimaev is a perfect 7-for-7 since arriving at the UFC level, posting a majority-decision win against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last time out over a calendar year ago Oct. 21, 2023. He has finished inside the distance in 5 of the past 7 fights with the company.
Chimaev holds a 1.5-inch reach advantage, while posting a 5.72-to-4.58 significant strikes landed per minute lead. Chimaev is way more accurate on those strikes, posting a 70.43% mark to just 45.96% for Whittaker. Chimaev is also much better in the ground game, posting a 3.99 takedown average and 2.66 submission average. On the flip side, Whittaker has a 0.80 takedown average and just a 38.10% takedown accuracy percentage.
Chimaev (-225) seems like an unstoppable force, but Whittaker (+185) is a tough customer. However, it’s all about the unbeaten fighter who is representing the host nation of United Arab Emirates. You can’t risk more than 2 times your potential return on the 2-way line, as it is just too expensive for a standalone wager.
This is a titanic battle, and Chimaev has ended up going the distance in 2 of the past 3 fights. Whittaker has needed the help of the judges in 6 of the previous 8 outings.
CHIMAEV BY DECISION (+600) is worth a roll of the dice for the chance to multiply your initial return by 6 times.
YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (+250) is a strong play for the chance to win 2½ times your money, especially if you want action on the fight and you’d prefer not to declare a winner.
In 10 of the past 15 fights for Whittaker, he has ended up going the distance dating back to Nov. 14, 2015. Chimaev has ended up needing the help of the judges twice in the past 3 outings.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
UFC 308 goes down Saturday night with perhaps the biggest title fight of the year, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 10 a.m. ET. for the full card.
In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.
UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.
Below is the complete UFC 308 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)
Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)
Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Here’s when to expect Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev to make their cage walks at UFC 308.
A pivotal middleweight bout co-headlines UFC 308 as former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]. This bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
A victory for either Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) or Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) should secure a title shot at 185 pounds. The two men were scheduled to meet earlier this year, but Chimaev was forced to withdraw because of an illness.
Whittaker has rebounded from a TKO loss to current champion Dricus Du Plessis with back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov to remain at he top of the rankings.
The hype surround Chimaev has cooled down while he’s struggled to remain active, but he’s yet to be beaten after most recently escaping with a majority decision win over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in a middleweight bout last October.
Here are the walkout times for the UFC 308 co-main event between Whittaker and Chimaev.
When does the UFC 308 fight card start?
The UFC 308 lineup consists of 13 fights. Prelims start at 10 a.m ET, and the pay-per-view main card is at 2 p.m. ET.
Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway walkout time
As the co-main event, Whittaker and Chimaev are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 3:45 p.m. ET (11:45 p.m. locally in Abu Dhabi).
In the final episode of UFC 308 “Embedded,” find out what Ilia Topuria had to say to Max Holloway during their weigh-ins faceoff.
The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for UFC 308, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.
The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Khamzat Chimaev sheds the last few pounds ahead of UFC 308 official weigh-ins; Athletes step on the scale to make their UFC 308 bouts official; Crowds gather to see final face-offs between fighters at the UFC 308 Ceremonial weigh-ins.
Can former champ Robert Whittaker stay in the hunt and take out undefeated middleweight threat Khamzat Chimaev on his home turf?
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC 308 co-main event between Khamzat Chimaev and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Supplemental info:
+ National champion in freestyle wrestling (SE)
^ Won multiple years and weight divisions
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
+ Amateur MMA accolades
+ 7 KO victories
+ 5 submission victories
+ 8 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Steadily improving striking and footwork
^ Solid jab from both stances
+ Favors front kicks from open stance
+ Superb wrestling ability
^ Offensively and defensively
+ Excellent transitional grappling
^ Good positional awareness and punishing process
Supplemental info:
+ Former UFC middleweight champion
+ Hapkido and karate black belt
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Australian National Wrestling Championships gold medal
+ 11 knockout victories
+ 5 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Good footwork and distance management
^ Quick blitzes and deceptive tempo changes
+ Accurate jabs and hooks
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Excellent wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Improved overall grappling
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker point of interest: Straight shooters
Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
The co-main event for UFC 308 features an important matchup between two top-ranked middleweights who are no strangers to operating off of linear offense.
Despite coming from a wrestling base, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] appears to be comfortable striking from both stances.
The Chechen fighter can fire off snappy jabs from either side, which, in turn, help him follow up with power shots.
Unless his opponent carries a decent grappling pedigree, Chimaev usually wastes little time extending striking exchanges before looking to change his level and wrestle. However, in recent outings, we’ve seen Chimaev play a bit more with open-stance looks on the feet.
Whether he’s throwing his favored front kick or looking to line up a wicked right hand, Chimaev seems to be gaining a taste for open-stance affairs. That said, Chimaev’s skills don’t exactly shine through in the defensive department, so the 30-year-old will need to make sure he’s respecting what’s coming back at him this Saturday.
Enter [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].
Coming from a traditional martial arts base, Whittaker has developed into one of the most unique striking stylists at 185 pounds.
Using a combination of speed, accuracy and a fluid economy of movement, the Australian will deceptively blitz off different angles. Like many karate-based strikers, Whittaker will feint or show a certain speed to draw his opponent into a false sense of security, only to disrupt the perceived timing with off-beat strikes.
As we’ve seen in multiple fights, Whittaker often will assert himself through rear-legged front kicks that he uses to launch himself into variations of left hooks and shifting overhand shots. The former champ also has no issue when it comes to sticking to his fundamentals, building offense off of deceptive jabs and feints.
That said, Whittaker is not beyond being taxed for his sometimes low-handed approach and will need to be on his best behavior – particularly early.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker breakdown: Winning the wrestling
Russia’s Khamzat Chimaev (black) and Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman (white) compete in their Middleweight bout during the Ultimate Fighting Championship 294 (UFC) event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 21, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Considering the arguable crux of Chimaev’s game, winning the wrestling will remain paramount for both parties.
Wrestling since the age of five, Chimaev has seemingly adapted to the grappling arts like second nature. From a lightning-fast shot to incredible wherewithal within the clinch, Chimaev seems to have it all from a wrestling perspective.
The 30-year-old displays a lot of the freestyle (and even Greco) looks that you would associate with his part of the world, yet also demonstrates a lot of the positional rides that traditionally come easier to American folkstyle wrestlers. And when Chimaev took the back of Li Jingliang at UFC 267, the Chechen fighter showed off some very competent jiu-jitsu to close to show via rear-naked choke.
Rewatching Khamzat Chimaev’s first amateur MMA fight and totally forgot about the makeshift playpen full of children cage-side who ended up getting a front row seat for this finish (*note the youngest girl cheering): pic.twitter.com/2XT9d0IWul
From early in his regional career to his more recent battle with Gilbert Burns, Chimaev has shown solid submission and wrestling defense in multiple scenarios. Whether someone is looking for Chimaev’s legs or attempting to re-guard, the product from the Allstars Training Center typically gives his opposition very little to work with – all while staying busy with offense of his own.
That said, Whittaker has proven to be much more difficult to control than many presumed he would when initially moving up to 185 pounds.
Aside from the fact that Whittaker’s footwork makes it difficult for his opponents to set up their shots, the Australian also shows the small technical intricacies that make him hard to ground or hold down when grasped.
For example, while most fighters are reliant on more traditional defenses such as sprawls or battles for under-hooks, they typically end up losing out to superior grapplers since these defensive tactics involve a commitment to contact (which in turn begets more grappling).
Whereas Whittaker, though capable of using those defenses, does not rely on them. Instead, “The Reaper” prefers to head off takedown attempts at the pass.
Already possessing a strong base and balance, Whittaker’s hip and grip awareness also have improved through the years.
Not only does Whittaker utilize grip breaks and wrist controls, but the 33-year-old is also disciplined about consistently circling out to his opponent’s weak side, which helps dissuade re-shots and takedown chain adjustments from his foes. Even Romero had difficulty grasping or chaining off his initial attempts due to Whittaker’s persistence to fight hands.
What is even more impressive is Whittaker’s ability to go from thwarting takedown attempts to striking off the breaks (which will also likely keep Chimaev honest in exchanges with him).
Still, if Whittaker does find himself on the bottom in this fight, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will need to be extra careful with his propensity to look for underhook getups given Chimaev’s front-choke acumen.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker odds
Robert Whittaker def. Ikram Aliskerov, UFC on ABC 6 (via UFC)
The oddsmakers and the public are siding with the Chechen fighter, listing Chimaev -250 and Whittaker +198 via FanDuel.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker prediction, pick
Between the bookmakers loving undefeated fighters to the promotional hype that’s been put on Chimaev, seeing him installed as a moderate favorite doesn’t shock me in the slightest.
Speculation about his health aside, Chimaev is absolute hell on wheels for the first 5-7 minutes of a fight.
However, after that point, the prospect-turned-contender starts to look incredibly human. And as Arnold Schwarzenegger said in the film PREDATOR, “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
Chimaev may not have been healthy for his last outing opposite Kamaru Usman, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve yet to see Chimaev convincingly win a third frame, much less a fourth or fifth.
Whereas Whittaker, who is very familiar with five-round affairs, traditionally does well over 25 minutes due to his consistent output and ability to adjust.
Add in the fact that Whittaker usually excels against grapple-first fighters, and I can’t help but side with the more proven product at plus money.
I’ll officially pick Whittaker to survive the early storms en route to a stoppage via strikes that come late into Round 3.
Prediction: Whittaker inside the distance
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker start time, where to watch
As the co-main event, Chimaev and Whittaker are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 3:45 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi on Saturday with a superstar atop the lineup in an attempt to recapture a title that used belong to him.
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi on Saturday with a superstar atop the lineup in an attempt to recapture a title that used belong to him.
The UFC has released the UFC 308 cold open video. The card features a featherweight title fight between champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC).
The video is narrated by actor and regular UFC voice-over narrator Ron Perlman and has a backdrop soundtrack of “Unleash The Power” by Hidden Citizens, featuring Rayelle and Sam Tinnesz. That song recently was featured in Netflix’s series “Blue Eye Samurai.”
The cold open also looks at the co-main event middleweight title eliminator between the unbeaten [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC).
Check out the UFC 308 cold open video above.
UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)
Champ Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
Ibo Aslan vs. Rafael Cerqueira
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Max Holloway sits down with the UFC 308 broadcast team to talk Ilia Topuria – and brings receipts to his case for himself.
The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for UFC 308, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.
The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker sit down with the UFC 308 commentating team; Champion Ilia Topuria starts his weight cut; Fans gather to see the stars of UFC 308 at the official press conference.
