Australian Rob Whittaker suffered a broken jaw after a brutal defeat to the Russian phenom at UFC 308: “I felt something was wrong”

Former Australian UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker suffered a devastating first-round submission defeat to undefeated Khamzat Chimaev – and is believed to have a broken jaw.

Whittaker’s chances of winning another world title took a hit on Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi (AEDT) after he struck out in 3:34 of the opening round.

The 33-year-old Australian performed several kicks to the leg, but did not have the opportunity to land a punch as he was knocked down after just 15 seconds.

He climbed heavily on the cage in an attempt to escape the clutches of a Russian fighter based in the United Arab Emirates, but suffered a chin or jaw injury during the decisive chokehold.

“A few rumors suggest that Robert Whittaker may have a dislocated jaw,” said commentator Jon Anik.

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier said: “Robert is pointing to his face. Holy cow. I think he broke his jaw. It’s amazing that Rob Whittaker did this. Holy smokes.

“He knocked him down, controlled him the whole time, and then just screwed up his face and crushed his jaw to that extent,” Anik said.

“I hope it’s not dislocated because it’s never fun to deal with.”

Robert Whittaker suffered a devastating first-round submission defeat to undefeated Khamzat Chimaev and suffered a jaw injury

The Australian was quickly defeated by the undefeated Russian phenomenon

Chimaev also pointed out that there was something wrong with the Australian’s jaw.

“I felt something was wrong, a click,” Chimaev said later.

Thank you Rob. I love you my brother, you are a legend, I respect you for taking the fight to me because no one wants to fight me.

After the fight, photos of Whittaker’s jaw with some of his teeth misaligned appeared on social media.

It was only the second time Whittaker had been submitted and the first time in 13 years.

Renowned wrestler Chimaev (30) started the fight as the favorite despite being in 13th place, 10 places below the Sydneysider.

They were originally scheduled to fight in June, but Chimaev withdrew after falling ill

He improved his record to 14-0.

It was only Whittaker’s fourth defeat in his last 19 fights over 10 years, but it raises questions about whether he will ever get another chance.