Robert Whittaker gives assessment of Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling after their UFC 308 encounter
Robert Whittaker entered the octagon for the third time in 2024 at UFC 308 where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev. He recently weighed in on the bout, showering his opponent with praise for his wrestling skills.
Speaking to his co-host Jonny Roses on his podcast, MMArcade Podcast, the No.4-ranked middleweight stated:
"Within seconds of the fight starting, I felt real comfortable standing with him. Like, real comfortable, but then the dude drops to like a millimeter - how do you stop that takedown, guy? And understandably, it's like, we did a lot of wrestling, we did a lot of stuff, we did a lot of wall work."
'The Reaper' continued:
"But mate, it's so hard to replicate that sort of takedown, that sort of commitment. And you know, props to him. The guy knows his strengths and played into them to a T and is willing to burn it all there for it."
Check out Robert Whittaker's comments on Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling below:
Chimaev was able to utilize his wrestling to finish Whittaker in the first round. It marked the Australian fighter's first time failing to get out of the opening round since UFC 170 in February 2014, when he competed at welterweight and suffered a first-round TKO loss to Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
Robert Whittaker shares update on injury suffered during Khamzat Chimaev clash
Robert Whittaker suffered a gruesome injury to his teeth during his UFC 308 loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Whittaker provided an update on the injury while speaking on the aforementioned episode of his podcast.
'The Reaper' initially revealed that he has always had issues with his bottom teeth, which have rendered him unable to bite an apple since he was 19. He noted that he should have dealt with the issue before, leading his co-host, Jonny Roses, to ask if he had them removed.
Whittaker responded:
"Yeah, they're just gone. Don't need them. My life is better without them. Fun fact, though, when they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw because apparently they think that might have been where the infections were coming from for the teeth."
Check out Robert Whittaker's comments on having oral surgery below:
While many expected Whittaker to be out for an extended period, he has shared that he is hoping to return next summer. He noted that he plans to switch up his fighting style following his latest loss.