Khamzat Chimaev visade återigen sin dominans i oktagonen när han besegrade Robert Whittaker i den första ronden under UFC 308 i Abu Dhabi. Segern, som kom efter en imponerande och intensiv kampstil, markerade Chimaevs största seger hittills och stärkte hans position som en potentiell utmanare om mellanviktsbältet. Whittaker, som själv är en tidigare mästare och känd för sitt tålamod och tekniska skicklighet, hade svårt att hantera Chimaevs aggressiva brottning och ground-and-pound, vilket ledde till att matchen avslutades tidigt.
Proffsens reaktioner på Chimaevs prestation
Många inom MMA-världen, inklusive andra UFC-stjärnor och experter, tog till sociala medier för att uttrycka sin förvåning och beundran för Chimaevs prestation. Kamaru Usman, en tidigare mästare i weltervikt, berömde Chimaev redan före matchen och sade att han såg något unikt hos honom som kunde bära honom till seger. Efter matchen framhöll Usman att Chimaevs förmåga att dominera Whittaker på mattan var något sällsynt, och kallade det en “speciell skicklighet”. Många andra MMA-profiler berömde också Chimaevs uthållighet och taktiska mognad, där fans på sociala medier beskrev hans prestation som “Calm Khamzat is different.”
Sociala medier fylls med hyllningar
På X (tidigare Twitter) strömmade kommentarer in från fans och experter som hyllade Chimaevs utveckling och kallade honom “nästa mästare.” Den ökade kontrollen och precisionen i hans aggressiva stil fångade många MMA-fans uppmärksamhet, och förväntningarna på hans framtida matcher har aldrig varit högre. UFC-kommentatorer diskuterade också att Chimaev nu kan vara redo för en titelchans, särskilt efter att ha visat en mer kontrollerad och fokuserad kampstil.
Matchkortet för UFC 308
Huvudkortet för UFC 308, med huvudmatchen mellan Ilia Topuria och Max Holloway, samt Chimaev och Whittaker i co-main event, innehöll flera högprofilerade matcher. Kvällen bjöd på matcher som Alexander Volkov mot Ciryl Gane i tungvikt och Magomed Ankalaev mot Aleksandar Rakic i lätt tungvikt. Denna stjärnspäckade gala satte verkligen ljuset på flera titelkandidater, inklusive Chimaev, som nu anses vara en seriös utmanare i mellanvikten.
Framtiden för Chimaev
Efter sin seger över Whittaker anses Chimaev nu vara närmare än någonsin en titelchans. Hans dominerande kampstil har fortsatt att väcka intresse och diskussioner bland både fans och experter, och många tror att han har en god chans att bli den nästa stora mästaren i UFC:s mellanviktsdivision. Med sin otroliga fysik och förmåga att hålla högt tempo genom hela matchen ser framtiden ljus ut för Khamzat Chimaev.
This is define moment for Chimaev!!! Sink or swim!!! I think Whittaker gonna be to much for him!! #ufc308
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) October 26, 2024
Finally, Khamzat Chimaev sets foot back in the octagon. It's been a full year. #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/ZT0mDj3xeH
— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) October 26, 2024
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING ?@RobWhittakerMMA vs @KChimaev
The #UFC308 co-main event is LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV!
[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/ioo2W0NMA6
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
Chimaev is very fired up as he’s making his ring walk. #UFC308
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) October 26, 2024
Here we goo
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) October 26, 2024
Damn it just got real.
Let’s go Bobby Knuckles! #UFC308
— Jay Perrin (@Joker_Gang35) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev's walk-out energy is through the roof ? #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/YiyeXqQ9Dh
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 26, 2024
So far so good. I’m most looking forward to seeing what @robwhittakermma brings today.
— Tim Boetsch (@TimBoetsch) October 26, 2024
KHAMZAT'S WALKOUT ?? #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/hbYa971lpZ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 26, 2024
He's back! ?
The #UFC308 co-main event is LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV!
[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/sbtxBB3GxN
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
I think Whitaker wins this one! #UFC308
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) October 26, 2024
HYPED UP ?
The #UFC308 co-main event is LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV!
[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/NqUZ9SGbI1
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
Khamzat wanted a staredown
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 26, 2024
Chimaev on Whittaker’s back 30 seocnds in #UFC308
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) October 26, 2024
That shot was insane! #UFC308
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) October 26, 2024
Has to survive this opening onslaught. Scary motherfucker for these 5 mins
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev immediately drags Robert Whittaker down against the fence #UFC308
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) October 26, 2024
That pressure from Khamzat! ?? #UFC308
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) October 26, 2024
That was a quick tap. Goddamn. Chimaev.
— Nick Baldwin (@NickBaldwinMMA) October 26, 2024
Chimaev is a Beast!!! One of the best wrestler ever in ufc!!!! Next champ!!! I was dead wrong!!! #ufc308
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev is BACK!
That was absolutely wild to watch.
So many questions and red flags heading into this fight and he made easy work of one of the best middleweights ever.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 26, 2024
Damn!!! KHAMZAT!!! #UFC308
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev just absolutely mauled Robert Whittaker. Unreal. ?
— Matthew Wells (@MrMWells) October 26, 2024
Very quick tap. He must have been injured. #UFC308
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) October 26, 2024
https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1850268110366167461
https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1850269024388542804
Khamzat made something very difficult look very easy #UFC308
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) October 26, 2024
Just a monster, Chimaev is #UFC308
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) October 26, 2024
#UFC308 results: Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) def. Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) – Round 1, 3:34
Full coverage: https://t.co/tUBscyFz6T pic.twitter.com/x71vBK59DA
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 26, 2024
Khamzat is that guy. Damn. Proven.
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) October 26, 2024
Wow, did he almost break his jaw?! I’m distraught and need answers #UFC308
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) October 26, 2024
Don’t waste our time with another DDP vs. Strickland fight. You gotta give Khamzat the title shot now.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) October 26, 2024
Wow what a performance @KChimaev #UFC308
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) October 26, 2024
Max Holloway win button vvvvvvvvvv
— Garrett Armfield (@Armfield135) October 26, 2024
WOW #UFC308
— Gerald Meerschaert (@The_Real_GM3) October 26, 2024
I love UFC pay-per-view’s on Saturday afternoons. I wish they would do it more often!! @ufc @danawhite
— Funky ?????? (@Benaskren) October 26, 2024
dominant victory
Congrats #UFC308— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) October 26, 2024
Made it look easy #ufc308
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) October 26, 2024
Alright Chimaev vs DDP ASAP!
— Funky ?????? (@Benaskren) October 26, 2024
Calm khamzat is different
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) October 26, 2024
I'm so upset right now ?? Team Reaper for life#UFC308
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) October 26, 2024
? #UFC308
— Diana Belbiță (@DianaBelbita) October 26, 2024
Holy cow. Khamzat Chimaev becomes the first to submit Robert Whittaker since October 2011. Brilliant performance.
Sean Strickland's going to want to get that contract signed for Dricus Du Plessis ASAP.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) October 26, 2024
Khamzat squeezed that ? that hard scary shit rt there bro a freak broke his jaw from the choke
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev. #UFC308
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) October 26, 2024
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV JUST DID THAT! ?@KChimaev wins by submission in Round 1!
[ #UFC308 | #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/uh0NuQd2rp
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev submits Robert Whittaker (2024)@ChrisUnger_ pic.twitter.com/h2qylYMvU8
— Fight Pics That Go Hard (@fightpicsgohard) October 26, 2024
https://twitter.com/AdamCatterall/status/1850269589294174315
Bo Nickal might be the only hope vs Khamzat. #UFC308
— Tim Welch (@TimwelchMT) October 26, 2024
Congratulations Khamzat. What an amazing performance against a top guy in Whittaker.??
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) October 26, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev has earned his title shot against Dricus Du Plessis. Unbelievable talent.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 26, 2024
Fight it all you want, Khamzat Chimaev isn’t going anywhere but up. He is in fact, him. #UFC308
— MacMally ? (@MacMallyMMA) October 26, 2024
https://twitter.com/chitoveraUFC/status/1850270216783298888
