'This hurt my soul'… UFC champion left devastated after watching Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker fall short at UFC 308

10/27/2024 01:21 PM

Like fans around the globe, a UFC champion had a tough time watching Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker lose at yesterday’s major event.

The pair of MMA legends suffered defeats in devastating fashion inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Tom Aspinall says ‘our guys lost tonight’ after Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker suffered defeats at UFC 308

Throughout their careers, Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker have carved out a special place in the hearts of fight fans.

Not only does the MMA community love their entertaining striking displays inside the cage, but also their humble personalities.

Therefore, last night, certainly wasn’t the easiest watch for their army of supporters.

In a dominant display, Khamzat Chimaev ragdolled ‘Bobby Knuckles’ en route to securing a first-round submission that broke the Aussie’s jaw.

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And to add insult to injury, Ilia Topuria rendered ‘Blessed’ unconscious with a thunderous left hook.

The results deeply upset fans of both fighters, and also disappointed UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the Englishman said: “Obviously, we’ve got two absolute fan favorites, two fighter favorites, Max Holloway being one in the main event, and then in the co-main event Robert Whittaker.

“Unfortunately, for me, this has hurt my soul a little bit because I absolutely love both of these guys, as do all the fighters and as do 99% of the fans out there. So, our guys lost tonight, unfortunately.

“But, of course, we appreciate the winners. We appreciate Khamzat Chimaev. We appreciate Ilia Topuria as well.”

Khamzat Chimaev calls out Alex Pereira for light heavyweight title fight

While Whittaker fans are upset with what happened yesterday evening, Chimaev supporters are on top of the world, with the Swede proving beyond doubt that the hype behind him is very much warranted.

The grappler now looks in line to take on the winner of Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland for middleweight gold.

However, securing the 185-pound throne isn’t the only path Chimaev is interested in exploring.

He has made it clear that he’d love to trade leather with Alex Pereira, explaining he’d be more than happy to step up to 205-pounds to make a fight happen.

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