This past October at UFC 308, Robert Whittaker suffered a devastating first-round loss to Khamzat Chimaev, suffering a brutal injury in the process.
Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, welcomed Khamzat Chimaev back to the Octagon this past October after ‘Borz’ spent over a year out of action.
‘Borz’ of course went on to score a crushing first-round submission win, seemingly injuring ‘The Reaper’s’ jaw in the process and leaving his front row of teeth a complete mess.
Robert Whittaker explains exactly what the injury was that he suffered at UFC 308
Chimaev’s win sent shockwaves not only throughout the middleweight division but throughout the UFC fanbase, as Whittaker was left with his face looking crushed due to the 30-year-old’s supernatural power.
Following the fight, Chimaev apologized to Whittaker during the UFC 308 press conference, claiming that he didn’t mean to injure him.
Although it was initially thought by the majority that Whittaker dislocated or broke his jaw, he has now explained exactly what the injury was that he suffered.
“Well, I’ve always kind of had bad bottom teeth, because I’ve had missing teeth (at the top) for like 10 years plus, so they’ve always kind of been shot because they’re not stable, they’re not a full circuit, they’re like half,” Whittaker began to explain on the MMArcade Podcast.
“Over the years, trauma or whatever, it’s something that kind of needed to be addressed but every dentist in their friend were saying, always try and keep your real teeth. I should of gotten rid of them years ago.
“During the Dricus (Du Plessis) fight, they kind of got pushed in a little bit… And I had to address that, they had to be pushed back,” the former champ continued.
Two weeks prior to his short-notice fight against Ikram Aliskerov this past June, Whittaker required emergency surgery to get four root canals after suffering infections in his teeth.
Robert Whittaker reveals doctors found a ‘huge cyst’ in his jaw whilst removing his teeth
After suffering from problems with his teeth since he was 19 years old, UFC 308 left him no choice but to get his bottom row of teeth removed, which led to a huge discovery from his doctors.
“I’ve never 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 gone (now), don’t need them, my life is much 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 infections were coming from for the teeth, so everything happens for a reason,” Whittaker continued.
Bizarrely though, despite all of the complications with his injury, ‘The Reaper’ is now back in training, preparing for a return to the Octagon.
The 33-year-old has highlighted June as a potential return month, however, he hasn’t got a return opponent in mind.
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