It takes quite a bit of effort to impress anyone from Team Khabib, whether it’s the former UFC lightweight champion himself or coach Javier Mendez. However, courtesy of what Khamzat Chimaev did to Robert Whittaker at UFC 308; not just a dominant win, but a jaw-breaking one at that, Mendez has well and truly been floored by the Chechen’s strength.
Mendez praised Chimaev’s efforts, calling the victory “unbelievable.” In an interview with Red Corner MMA, the striking coach at AKA, said he couldn’t believe what he saw at UFC 308.
“When he takes you down, great control, great everything. And then when Robert gave his back, he got on that and the jaw went snap.
Like most who watched the fight, Mendez too was shocked to see Whittaker tap the moment the face crank went in. And then it dawned upon everyone when Daniel Cormier shared a picture of the Aussie’s mouth.
“I was shocked that Robert tapped so quick, but I did not realise what had happened.”
View this post on Instagram
It was straight out of a horror movie from the early 90s, stuff you would see in Jeepers Creepers 3!
Chimaev shot for a really low takedown within the first few seconds of the fight and took ‘Bobby Knuckles’ down with it. It was hell from that point on.
Whittaker was able to stand up momentarily, however, he was dragged back down to the ground very soon after. After this, Chimaev managed to secure the back and get a face crank on. It pushed Whittaker’s teeth back into his mouth and earned him a tap in a split second.
Of course, now the question remains- does Chimaev fight Dricus du Plessis fight for the title? Or does Sean Strickland manage to pry his way in?
Dricus Du Plessis welcomes Chimaev challenge
Strickland’s last fight was a letdown after the verbal warfare he indulged in against Paulo Costa. It was jab-jab-jab for 24 minutes and 10 seconds and then 30 seconds of Karate Kid kicking towards the end of the last round. He wasn’t to completely blame either. Costa didn’t offer much in the way of a counter-strike to the American’s relentless pressing.
Before that, Strickland had lost the middleweight title to DDP via the judges’s scorecard. Since then, he’s been clamoring for a rematch with the champion but the South African doesn’t feel he deserves it.
du Plessis has been clear from Day 1 that the winner of Chimaev vs. Whittaker deserved a shot at the title and now that we have a winner, DDP has called him out.
With recent victories over top names like Whittaker, Strickland, and Israel Adesanya, Du Plessis feels that a win against Chimaev would earn him a shot at the light heavyweight title. Ideally, he hopes to make that title fight happen in his home country, South Africa, where he can become the first South African double champ.
While he’s willing to face Strickland if that’s what’s on the table, he’s clear that he wants to fight the top-ranked opponents that fans are excited about – and Chimaev tops that list right now.
