Khamzat Chimaev tops welterweight legend's Submission of the Year list: "Crush your jaw and your teeth"
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman awarded Khamzat Chimaev with his 2024 Submission of the Year selection.
On October 26, Chimaev returned to the Octagon following a one-year layoff. The middleweight contender reminded everyone of his finishing abilities with a first-round submission (face crank) against former UFC champion Robert Whittaker.
Chimaev's submission against Whittaker has received endless praise, especially after the latter showcased the damage to his teeth and jaw.
Earlier today, Kamaru Usman and fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo released an episode of their podcast, 'Pound 4 Pound,' to announce their yearly awards. Usman had this to say about Submission of the Year:
"The best submission of the year, this one is easy for me. Let's start with Khamzat [Chimaev]. Everybody always says, 'Hey, maybe he will eventually slow down and he won't just sprint across the cage. He said, 'No [against Robert Whittaker], I don't care, I'm coming across the cage, shooting for your legs, I'm taking you down, and I'm going to try and choke you.' If you can't stop it, why would he stop?" [8:24-8:57]
Usman later followed up by saying:
"He did it, and not only did he do it in impressive fashion, it wasn't even a deep choke. It wasn't even like a choke on the neck, blood or breath or wind and choke you out. No, it was over the face, and he was like, 'I'm so strong I'm going to crush your jaw and your teeth with my forearm." [8:59-9:20]
Watch Usman and Cejudo's entire podcast episode below:
Khamzat Chimaev's submission sets him up for potential title shot
Khamzat Chimaev's performance against Robert Whittaker asserted him in the UFC middleweight title picture. The division's king, Dricus du Plessis, voiced his interest in fighting Chimaev before Dana White announced that his next title defense would be a rematch against Sean Strickland.
White has also claimed Chimaev might fight for UFC gold in 2025. Meanwhile, Number two-ranked Israel Adesanya is scheduled to fight number five-ranked Nassourdine Imavov, leaving no other realistic contenders for Chimaev.
Therefore, Khamzat Chimaev could face the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland instead of needing another win.