Dana White has reacted to the devastating injury Robert Whittaker suffered at UFC 308.
The former UFC middleweight was supposed to give Khamzat Chimaev his toughest test to date, but the Russian phenom quickly took him down to the floor and made Whittaker tap out inside the first round on Saturday night.
Chimaev applied a choke across the face of his opponent. A face crank is not usually enough to earn a submission, especially against someone as tough as ‘The Reaper, but Whittaker quickly tapped out at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Talk immediately turned to a potential jaw injury, and now Dana White has provided an update.
Dana White provides Robert Whittaker medical update
At the end of the UFC 308 broadcast, Daniel Cormier shared a graphic image of Whittaker’s mouth.
It showed that three of his bottom teeth had been caved in by Chimaev’s ridiculously tight squeeze.
Fans are deeply concerned that Whittaker may have suffered a broken or dislocated jaw, and White did nothing to reassure them that the Aussie fan favorite didn’t during his UFC 308 post-fight press conference.
“As soon as that happened, I picked up the phone and I called the truck,” the UFC boss said.
“They’re like, ‘Yeah, his jaw popped’. So, I knew what happened, because I didn’t know what happened either or why he tapped so quick.
“We were like, ‘He didn’t even have the choke in’. It was weird. Yeah, he popped his jaw.
“When you do that, it splits and the teeth get all messed up. Rob has that right now.
White was unable to say for sure what Whittaker’s injury was, but he was sure of one thing.
“He added: “I don’t know yet. It’s not good!
“When your teeth are going [in different directions] it’s not good.”
What’s next for Khamzat Chimaev?
Chimaev improved his perfect MMA record to 14-0 with his best performance yet at UFC 308.
By beating Whittaker, the 30-year-old appears to have put himself in line for a title shot.
Middleweight king Dricus du Plessis is expected to defend his belt against Sean Strickland in 2025.
‘DDP’ dethroned Strickland in a razor-thin split decision win earlier his year. Since then, the champion has submitted Israel Adeanya to defend the belt, while the outlandish American has beaten Paulo Costa to earn a rematch.
Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 has been heavily linked to UFC 312, which will take place in Australia on February 9 – but White seemed to suggest that Chimaev may skip the queue after his sensational win on Saturday night.
“That’s a good question. Call me on Tuesday,” White said when asked who will face the 185lb king next.
Strickland sent a message to Chimaev in the immediate aftermath of his big win at UFC 308.
He tweeted: “Understand one thing…. I am next in line….. Its been said, its been written… January/February me and Dricus du Plessis are scrapping.
“Go back to Chechnya and wait a few months….. wait.. sorry UAE… you’re not allowed in Chechnya…But hey crypto scams while you wait.”
Strickland seems sure of his position, but White doesn’t, and only time will tell who’ll get the next middleweight title shot.