Former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker suffered serious facial damage in his submission skid to Khamzat Chimaev. It was part of the UFC 308 pay-per-view event last month in Abu Dhabi, where Chimaev subjected some hard face crank. The horrifying pictures on the internet went viral online at the time. Now, ‘Reaper’ reaps some painful tales.
Khamzat Chimaev’s Round-1 submission (face crank) – in the UFC 308 PPV co-headliner broke through his lower digits. It’s something even the Chechen pitched in on recently. However, no matter the pain, good riddance, says Robert Whittaker. The veteran Aussie fighter says he had a weak tooth or two for a while now.
I haven’t been able to bite down on an apple since I was 19, …[My teeth] have always been bad, and I should’ve dealt with them much sooner. They’re just gone, don’t need them. My life is better without them. Fun fact, though: When they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw, and they think that might have been where the infections were coming from
Robert Whittaker to Jonny Roses for his MMArcade Podcast (@MMArcadePodcast, Episode 52)
Fact check: it’s true. Agent Titus Day also said he had a really bad abscess on his jaw before UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov. Apples have been known to bring down former UFC champions on occasion. Now, Whittaker takes the hard route to understand that.
Robert Whittaker says he’s gotten his bottom teeth removed after the Khamzat Chimaev fight 😬
“Fun fact, when they took [my teeth] out they found a massive cyst in my jaw.” 😳
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 26, 2024
For now, Khamzat Chimaev and the likes go on to supposed title shots. The pivotal Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov is in the works for the second UFC Saudi Arabia ‘Fight Night’ could also determine the next challenger. Whittaker (26-8) is currently #4 at 185lbs and could be just a few wins away from a shot at the middleweight title. Right now, it’s just a bad time to have a bad tooth.
History of problems with ‘vulnerable’ teeth revealed by Robert Whittaker after UFC 308
Robert Whitaker is in much better shape than originally reported following an ugly face crank at the UFC 308 pay-per-view event. The good news was that Whittaker’s jaws did not break. The bad news is that it’s a recurring injury he had had because of “fragile” teeth.
Robert Whittaker gives the deeds on injury after war with Khamzat Chimaev (Source: X)Pictures taken after the fight showed Whittaker’s mouth disarrayed and his lower teeth out of line with his remaining teeth. Several experts came to the conclusion that his jaw was slitting clean through in several positions. That’s not the case; but, it’s an Achilles’ grill for the Aussie man out of Team Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Smeaton Grange. It is more like Kamaru Usman and glass knees and all.
I’m all right, …Like, it wasn’t the jaw. The teeth, the teeth got pushed in. I’ve always had kind of like loose teeth … and they got looser. His forearms went straight on the bottom teeth, I didn’t even have a moment to turn my head or anything. It was just on. It is what it is. If I didn’t have such vulnerable teeth, maybe I would have had another second to turn my head. Or maybe not.
Robert Whittaker in a post-fight lobby interview at UFC 308, to @RedCorner_MMA
Whittaker broke his jaw and smashed all his teeth when he was just 19, prompting doctors to insert a metal plate. According to “The Reaper”, the plate left a funny-looking bulge in his chin. To hide it, he grew a goatee – which he still wears today. The goatee stayed, as did the tooth troubles.
