November 27, 2024 7:00 pm ET
Robert Whittaker acknowledges that there wasn’t a lot he may do to cease Khamzat Chimaev from taking him down.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) for a first-round submission of their middleweight bout at UFC 308. The face-crank win resulted in Whittaker needing dental surgical procedure. Whittaker broke down how the struggle went down and rated Chimaev’s power.
“Inside seconds of the struggle beginning, I felt actual comfy standing with him, like actual comfy,” Whittaker stated on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “Then the dude drops to love a millimeter. How do you cease that takedown? We did a number of wrestling, we did a number of wall work, nevertheless it’s so laborious to copy that form of takedown, that form of dedication. Props to him. Man is aware of his power and performed into them to a tee and is keen to burn all of it there for it.
“Takedown goes in, ankle picks me off the fence, it was an excellent takedown. It was a gorgeous takedown. However then we get to the wall work, and I felt good. Like, he has actually heavy sag. He’s not ridiculously sturdy or something like that, however he had actually heavy sag, and he was actually good at making me work. He was actually good and ensuring he was lively. He was at all times reaching for under-hooks, reaching for ankle picks, making an attempt to get a hook in. Making me work, staying lively.” Whittaker was ready for Chimaev’s explosive begin however didn’t count on the face crank to trigger a lot injury.
“Even then, I knew that the squeeze that he was pushing on was going to be very laborious to maintain that all through the rounds,” Whittaker stated. “We had 5 rounds, proper? And I may really feel a number of the area opening up afterward.
“Clearly it occurs, we transition, then he places his forearm throughout my face for the face crank. It was simply image good, landed sq. between my chin and my lip. It hits proper there and immediately my enamel gave out. Clearly the squeezing after didn’t assist, however they only gave out.”
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