Robert Whittaker made a successful light heavyweight debut and he might go home with Nikita Krylov’s jaw as a reward after his knockout win at UFC 329.
Despite giving up a lot of size, Whittaker’s speed was undeniable and his power translated as he hurt Krylov several times during the fight. The end came after Whittaker clipped Krylov wih a stiff right hand and then followed with another huge shot behind it.
Krylov immediately grabbed at his jaw like something was broken and waved off the fight as the referee stepped in to stop if at 1:01 in the third round.
“Feast your eyes on that Reddit!” Whittaker joked after his win. “Honestly, there was a lot of nerves and we’ve seen guys move up and slide down … but we’ve still got it. I trained for the entire camp with the idea that my opponent is going to be the boogeyman.
“I came in nice and heavy and I hit as hard as anybody else. This is my home now. The middleweight page is closed.”