Khamazt Chimaev has received praise from one of his sporting heroes after UFC 308.
Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event before using his post-fight mic time to call for an immediate title shot, which many fight fans believe he is due after an incredible win in his toughest test to date.
Sean Strickland beat Irsael Adeanya to become the 185lb king in September 2023, but he suffered a razor-thin split decision defeat in his first defense against Dricus du Plessis, who has since tapped out Adesanya to defend the belt.
A rumored rematch is expected to take place at UFC 312 in Australia on February 9. Unfortunately for Strickland, nothing is set in stone and now he’s got competition from Chimaev.
Zlatan Ibrahimović backs Khamzat Chimaev to dethrone Dricus du Plessis
Chimaev grew up in Russia before moving to Sweden with his mother when he was 18 years old.
Although he’s never gained Swedish citizenship, ‘Borz’ has the backing of the country and its biggest star, Zlatan Ibrahimović, who has played for a host of Europe’s elite soccer teams during his legendary career.
The 43-year-old striker was in the crowd when Chimaev beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October.
Chimaev said post-fight: “Zlatan, thank you, brother. You come to support me. It’s crazy!”
On Sunday, Ibrahimović shared a clip of Chimaev crushing Whittaker’s face to his Instagram page, which has over 64 million followers, alongside the caption: “The Wolf. Khamzat Chimaev. The next champ.”
Chimaev excitedly reposted the praise to his own account – but it remains unclear who will get the next middleweight title shot.
Rober Whittaker provides a positive injury update
Fans worried that Whittaker may have suffered a broken or dislocated jaw in his loss to Chimaev.
Daniel Cormier added fuel to the fire by sharing a picture of Whittaker’s bashed-in front teeth.
However, the ex-champion has confirmed he’s relatively healthy and only in need of some emergency dental work after falling to the eighth loss of his professional MMA career.
“Thank you everyone for all the love and support,” Whittaker wrote on social media. “It’s a tough gig sometimes but that’s the business. Big congratulations to Khamzat, he was the better man tonight and that’s all there is to it. I felt great, everything was on point, and I was ready.
“My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in. It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now haha. I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge, so this is no different.”
Whittaker thanked his team and global fanbase for their unwavering support, before acknowledging that he’s looking forward to some well-deserved rest and recovery: “Time to go spend time with the family for a bit. Be back soon.”