It was immediately clear that something had gone badly wrong for Robert Whittaker. Scarily wrong. Fighters do not tap quickly to face cranks, but Whittaker submitted within milliseconds of a forearm sliding across his jaw. Later, Khamzat Chimaev revealed he heard a “click” as soon as he applied the crank. Yet a “click” does not convey the gruesome reality of the injury inflicted.
Soon, a photo circulated, showing the bloody cave of Whittaker’s mouth. It looked like a mouth, anyway; it definitely contained teeth. But they were awash with crimson, and three in the bottom row were completely detached from their neighbours. These teeth were bent back at almost 90 degrees, facing the roof of the cavern.
This was not a jaw-dropping performance from Chimaev, it was a jaw-shattering one. The Russian’s career has been turbulent, with weight issues, sickness, and alleged travel limitations thwarting him from competing regularly. Yet when he does make it to the cage, these volatilities vanish, and Chimaev becomes a frightening, single-minded beast.
So well rounded and experienced is Whittaker, with such a gilded resume, that many voices in MMA predicted a win at UFC 308. Many predicted that the former middleweight champion would survive an inevitable, early onslaught, and rally for a crafty victory.
But then came the onslaught. Chimaev immediately shot for a takedown, and the “Reaper” was the one stalked by some ominous force. Whittaker simply could not get Chimaev off him. Trapped against the fence, Whittaker was coerced into ceaseless thought and defensive movement: block Chimaev’s choking arm; wait, now it’s the other arm; hang on, now he’s striking; and repeat, but never in the same order. Eventually Whittaker was caught out.
Chimaev sought the Australian’s neck, but Whittaker tucked his chin – the right move, actually. Chimaev had to settle for a face crank, but with a grip so crushing that he immediately crumbled Whittaker’s jaw. He crumbled his jaw.
And so Chimaev moved to 14-0: eight knockouts, six submissions, just two decisions. Next is surely a title shot, which has felt like the endpoint since day one, given Chimaev’s UFC run started in unprecedented fashion.
On 15 July 2020, the Russian submitted John Phillips in round two. Ten days later, he knocked out Rhys McKee in round one. Two months later, Chimaev – switching between welterweight and middleweight – bludgeoned Gerald Meerschaert inside 17 seconds. It was the “Wolf”’s scariest finish, until Saturday.
But if Chimaev’s momentum felt unsustainable, that’s because it was.
He recorded an impressive win in his next fight, submitting Li Jingliang early, but that was 11 months after the Meerschaert KO. Then, in April 2022, he faced a leap in competition against ex-title challenger Gilbert Burns, who dropped Chimaev and only narrowly lost on points. Five months later, the UFC tried to use Chimaev to put Nate Diaz out to pasture – amid a contract dispute with the legend. But Chimaev missed weight, and UFC 279 was thrown into disarray. Diaz went on to submit Tony Ferguson on short notice, while Chimaev submitted Kevin Holland.
Another impressive, early win, but Chimaev’s stock had fallen due to the chaos he caused.
Then, another long absence: 13 months before Chimaev narrowly beat ex-170lb king Kamaru Usman, who had stepped up on short notice, and who was debuting at middleweight. Around this time, there were also numerous attempts to book Chimaev against Leon Edwards, but Chimaev shouldered the responsibility as each effort failed. As such, his wins over Usman and Whittaker came 12 months apart.
But somewhere in there lies an issue that is apparently out of Chimaev’s control. The 30-year-old was first due to face Whittaker in June, but “violent” illness stopped him. Previously, Chimaev teased retirement after repeatedly coughing up blood, fearing he had cancer. Thankfully it was smoke without fire, but the Russian has seemingly struggled with the effects of long Covid. Furthermore, his one-year-old son has had health problems, too.
These are very real reasons for Chimaev’s stunted activity, while rumours swirl that he cannot enter the US, which Chimaev denies.
Chimaev has a close relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, who has been blacklisted by the US over alleged human-rights abuses and crimes against humanity – including murders, torture, and a so-called ‘gay purge’.
The true nature of Chimaev’s relationship with Kadyrov is unclear, but the pair have been pictured together numerous times, the fighter has trained the politician’s sons, and one of them seemingly walked out with Chimaev on Saturday. On Sunday, Chimaev shared a video of himself and Kadyrov – apparently backstage at UFC 308 – writing: “Despite his busyness and lack of time, my main fan, my dear BROTHER [...] Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov was at the tournament, supporting me before and during the fight. I felt this support and could not let him down.”
Last year, Chimaev moved from Sweden to the UAE, which hosted his last two fights, and June’s cancelled bout with Whittaker was meant for Saudi Arabia. He last fought in the US two years ago, and it doesn’t look like he’ll fight there anytime soon. If he is limited to events in the Middle East, the opportunities to fight will be few and far between.
So the UFC has a strange star on its hands: a No 1 contender who terrifies inside the cage, but whose life outside it is frightening in other ways. This is the curious, concerning case of Khamzat Chimaev.
