Khamzat Chimaev crushed former UFC champ's jaw to earn Dricus du Plessis title fight

Khamzat Chimaev is undefeated in his fighting career, but of those many victories the most recent one was arguably his most impressive and violent.

“Borz” only competed once last year at UFC 308, where he brought former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker to the mat in the first round and forced him to tap to a brutal face crank that caused significant damage to Whittaker’s jaw.

The victory brought Chimaev’s professional record to 14-0, and now he’s set to challenge for the middleweight belt when he and Dricus du Plessis headline UFC 319 in Chicago, IL.

Khamzat Chimaev Ran Through Robert Whittaker At UFC 308

Following an upset loss to du Plessis at UFC 290 that set up the South African’s own shot at UFC gold, Whittaker bested former title challenger Paulo Costa before being booked to meet Chimaev at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Chimaev ended up withdrawing from the headlining bout due to illness, and after Whittaker stopped replacement opponent Ikram Aliskerov in the first round the two middleweights were rebooked to meet in a five-round co-main event for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

Khamzat Chimaev broke Robert Whittaker's jaw in his submission win 😳 #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/IHFnHBosYj
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 26, 2024

Many fans were excited by the prospect of seeing “Borz” tested in the championship rounds against Whittaker, but Chimaev wasted no time getting the fight to the canvas before he locked an arm across the former champion’s jaw and generated a swift tap from Whittaker.

"Borz" & Dricus Du Plessis Are Both Undefeated In The UFC

The speed with which Whittaker tapped caught a number of viewers off guard given that Chimaev hadn’t gotten his arm under the chin for a proper rear naked choke, but in the aftermath of the event “The Reaper” revealed the extent of the damage that he'd sustained.

The dominant win was a needed one for Chimaev after he’d taken a majority decision over former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman in the latter fighter’s short-notice middleweight debut at UFC 294. Since joining the UFC in 2020, “Borz” has collected eight victories and finished six of the opponents he’s faced in the Octagon.

Dricus Du Plessis (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Sean Strickland (red glove) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Du Plessis also made his UFC debut in 2020 and has yet to taste defeat in the Octagon. “Stillknocks” has already defended the promotion’s middleweight belt twice since winning it in early 2024, and at UFC 319 he’ll try to defend it a third time and also hand Chimaev what would be the first loss of his career.

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