Robert Whittaker Astonished by Khamzat Chimaev in Submission Loss

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker left flabbergasted after losing via submission to Khamzat Chimaev in the very first round. At UFC 308 back in October of 2024. Chimaev defeated Whittaker via Face Crank at three minutes and thirty-four seconds of round one. Whittaker spoke about how he was manhandled and wrestled most of his training camp to prepare for Chimaev. The Reaper also spoke about the dexterity of Chimaev’s takedowns and his ability to adapt. Whittaker is aware that Chimaev is the best wrestler in the middleweight division and his chain wrestling is second to none. The thing that shocked Whittaker the most was (Borz) Chimaev’s ability to shoot from two meters away and a foot off the ground.

Robert Whittaker Says Initial Takedown of Khamzat Chimaev is Hard to Stop

The former champ Whittaker reflects on the UFC 308 loss and how hard Chimaevs takedowns were to defend. Whittaker says one of the things he could have done more of in hindsight was lateral movement along the octagon he told Ariel Helwani. Whittakers also speaks on how “Chimaev’s initial takedown is hard to stop, like really, really hard to stop.”. As well as Whittaker thought he would have more time to escape the neck crank submission. More time is the thin Whittaker did not have as Chimaev locked in the submission in less than ninety seconds once he got to Whittaker’s back. What added more fuel to the flames was Whittaker’s post-fight injury was leaked to the public.

Whittaker Riled by Daniel Cormier Sharing Post-Fight Injury

As soon as the fight ended fans wanted to know what made Whittaker tap so quickly. Within moments former double champion and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier was posting an answer. According to Robert Whitaker, the doctor took a picture to show to the boss Dana White and he was ok with that. DC (Cormier) took a picture of the doctor’s phone and posted it to social media to inform the combat world. Whittakers broken jaw and loose teeth were now public knowledge and the former middleweight champion was highly annoyed. What a scummy thing to do said Whittaker in response to DC posting his post-fight injury.

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