Max Holloway's statement on UFC 308 loss, Khamzat Chimaev's reaction to breaking Robert Whittaker's jaw, Conor McGregor's lost money: MMA News Roundup
Max Holloway has commented on suffering a career-first knockout loss at UFC 308 at the hands of Ilia Topuria. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev expressed sympathy towards Robert Whittaker after later suffered a broken jaw.
Catch up on today's top combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.
Max Holloway issues social media statement on UFC 308 loss
Before UFC 308, Max Holloway had lost seven fights in his MMA career but was never knocked out. He held his own even against elite strikers like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Alexander Volkanovski. But Ilia Topuria got the better of Holloway, just as he had promised.
Topuria proved he was not 'all talk and no show' when he became the first fighter ever to knock Holloway out inside the cage, an incredible feat that earned him laurels from across the MMA community.
Following the loss, Holloway took to social media to issue a statement. Gracious as ever even in defeat, 'Blessed' wrote:
"Sometimes you get a highlight then sometimes you’re the highlight. This is why MMA is the craziest sport in the world. Congrats to the El Matador. As to my family, friends, and supporters, we [are] good! The Blessed Express ain’t stopping here. We [are] on our way to a new destination. Make sure you have your ticket [and] get excited. Thank you all for the love and support!"
Khamzat Chimaev reacts to Robert Whittaker's broken jaw
In an incredible show of strength, power, and skill, Khamzat Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round after an early takedown and ground-and-pound.
Fans were initially surprised to see 'The Reaper' tap out lightning fast. He seemed to be in pain even though it seemed like Chimaev had barely put the face crank in place.
A photo revealed by Daniel Cormier during the live broadcast soon cleared up the confusion. Chimaev had broken Whittaker's jaw in such a horrific manner that Whittaker's lower front teeth had moved back into his oral cavity.
Check out the photo here. [VIEWER'S DISCRETION ADVISED]
When asked to comment on it during the UFC 308 press conference, Chimaev said:
"Before I come in here, they showed [a picture of Whittaker's injury] to me but I felt something was wrong with his chin when I pushed it. So, I feel bad for that. I didn't mean to [break] somebody's chin. But this is my work, you know. Make somebody pain and make me happy and my family."
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's comment below (0:35):
Dana White confirmed during the press conference that Whittaker had indeed "popped" his jaw and suffered an injury to the dental structure. "It's not good," the UFC CEO said.
Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert Dr. David Abbasi pointed out in a social media post that Whittaker's injury was an "unstable mandible fracture" which would require fixation with plates and screws.
Read his full assessment here.
Conor McGregor's gambling fails
Conor McGregor has been gambling of late, wagering on big fights here and there. Ahead of UFC 308, the Irishman shared his betting slip for the event in a since-deleted tweet.
The photo revealed that he bet $500,000 in a parlay on Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway winning their respective fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria by KO.
He was set to cash out $17,120,000 if all went well. But Chimaev and Topuria both ruined his plans, which did not sit well with the former UFC double champion. He reacted to the situation with a one-word tweet to express his disappointment:
"Abysmal."
The said tweet has also been deleted since.