When Khamzat Chimaev returned to the Octagon last month, he showcased a rather calm demeanor. The fighter, who used to portray a brash persona, claiming that he’d “kill everybody” on the UFC roster, didn’t exchange any heated verbal jabs with the Aussie. The undefeated Emirati star apparently squeezed Robert Whittaker so hard while he had him in a neck crank position during their fight that ‘The Reaper’s teeth were pushed in.

‘Borz’ recently opened up on the reason behind his changed ways and it seems to be a pretty reasonable one. The anticipated bout did not have any bad blood and the reason Chimaev has given for his demeanor is because Whittaker didn’t go out of line to offend him in any way. “I don’t even know what to say. My guys say something like, ‘Brother, you’re being too sincere, you’re worried.’ I say, ‘What do I have to worry about? It’s the same Khamzat,” Chimaev recently told Adam Zubayraev.

“What am I even going to say to Whittaker? If the guy doesn’t say anything to me at all. Such a respectful guy. What could you even say to him?” Furthermore, Bobby Knuckles has a pretty jolly demeanor and is mostly seen smiling rather than being angry. Keeping that in mind, Chimaev believed it wasn’t necessary when no insults were being hurled from the other side. “Even if I wanted to say something to him If I tried to go off on him, he would just sit there quietly, anyway,” ‘Borz’ added.

Moreover, Khamzat Chimaev even expressed concern when he saw the aftermath of his menacing submission win over Robert Whittaker. And for that, the Chechnya-born star shared an apology.

Khamzat Chimaev didn’t intend to break Robert Whittaker’s jaw

When Robert Whittaker revealed what happened during his submission loss, he stated that he already had complications with his teeth being loose. According to Chimaev’s statements, it appears that ‘The Reaper’ wasn’t lying. Even ‘Borz’ felt something wrong when he got hold of Whittaker’s chin, and he felt bad for what happened to the former champion, which was never his intention. However, he reminded everyone that it’s the nature of the profession after all.

“Before I come in here, they show [a picture of Whittaker’s injury] to me but I felt something was wrong with his chin when I push it. So, feel bad for that, didn’t mean to [break] somebody’s chin. But this is my work, you know. Make somebody pain and make me happy and my family,” Khamzat Chimaev stated at the post-fight press conference.

With this win, Chimaev has cemented his place in the title shot picture, with speculation that he’s indeed the next in line despite Dana White claiming that it’s Sean Strickland‘s chance next. It remains to be seen how the 185-pound title picture pans out in the coming months as we wait for Chimaev to fight soon this time out given the pace of his activity has slowed down over the last couple of years. Who do you see going for the title next? Tell us in the comment section below!