Khamzat Chimaev emerges as the betting favorite to win the title after UFC 308

Khamzat Chimaev made a statement at UFC 308, forcing former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker to deliver a devastating punch to the face in the first round of their co-main event match. The ease with which Chimaev defeated the highly regarded Whittaker could earn Chimaev the next shot at UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. The first odds favor the challenger if this duel is the next 185-pound title fight.

Chimaev entered UFC 308 as the No. 13 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings, while Whittaker was ranked No. 3. Saturday's fight card marked Chimaev's first fight since he defeated former UFC welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman by majority decision in October 2023. UFC had booked Whittaker against Chimaev for a clash in June, but that fell through when Chimaev fell ill. Whittaker stayed on the card and scored an impressive knockout win over late substitute Ikram Aliskerov.

Chimaev came into UFC 308 healthy and smashed Whittaker.

As expected, Chimaev started the fight quickly and scored an early takedown. From that moment on, Whittaker was on the defense and the former champion did his best to prevent his opponent from blocking a submission. No matter how valiantly he tried, Whitaker couldn't shake his larger opponent off his back. Chimaev's relentless pressure allowed him to score a face crank at the 3:34 mark of the first round, giving Whittaker a desperation punch.

After the fight, we learned that the former champion's consent came too late, as Chimaev's firm pressure severely damaged Whittaker's teeth and jaw.

The victorious Chimaev spoke about the end of the fight at the UFC 308 post-fight press conference: “Before I came in here, they showed me, but I felt something was wrong with his chin when I pushed on it,” Chimaev said . “So I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to break anyone’s jaw, but it’s my job to make someone hurt and make me happy, my family.”

“I did not try to break his jaw in any way,” Chimaev added. “It just so happened that I took a choke and heard something clicking. I thought I was going to take his neck, but I guess I broke my jaw.”

In August, UFC CEO Dana White said the next UFC middleweight title fight would be a rematch between current champion Dricus du Plessis and former champ Sean Strickland. However, should those plans fail and the UFC book Du Plessis against Chimaev, the oddsmakers are in favor of the challenger taking the title.

Chimaev is the favorite over Champ and Ex-Champ

Not long after his UFC 308 win, BetOnline placed Chimaev as the -200 betting favorite over Du Plessis, who was listed at +170. On the other hand, if the UFC goes for a title eliminator between Chimaev and Strickland, Chimaev is the -250 favorite over the +210 Strickland.

The UFC has not officially announced a time, date or location for the potential duel between Du Plessis and Strickland. In their first meeting, which took place in January 2024, Du Plessis won the title via split decision. He defended his belt in August with a submission win over former two-time UFC middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya.

Chimaev improved to 14-0 with his win over Whittaker at UFC 308. He has 12 career degrees.