Last October at UFC 308, Robert Whittaker suffered a devastating first-round defeat to Khamzat Chimaev, suffering a brutal injury.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker welcomed Khamzat Chimaev back to the Octagon last October after 'Borz' was out of action for more than a year.
'Borz', of course, scored a landslide victory in the first round, seemingly injuring 'The Reaper''s jaw and leaving his front row of teeth a complete mess.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Robert Whittaker explains exactly what the injury he suffered at UFC 308 was
Chimaev's victory sent shockwaves not only through the middleweight division, but also throughout the UFC fanbase, as Whittaker looked crushed by the 30-year-old's supernatural strength.
After the fight, Chimaev apologized to Whittaker during the UFC 308 press conference, claiming he did not 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 he suffered was.
“Well, I've always had a little bit of bad bottom teeth, because I've had missing teeth (on the top) for over a decade, so they've always been a little bit shot because they're not stable,” It's not a full circuit, but about half,” Whittaker began explaining on the MMArcade Podcast.
“Over the years, trauma or whatever, it was something that had to be addressed, but every dentist in his friend said always try to keep your real teeth. I should have gotten rid of them years ago.
“During the fight with Dricus (Du Plessis) they were pushed in a little bit… And I had to do something about that, they had to be pushed back,” the former champion continued.
Two weeks prior to his short fight against Ikram Aliskerov last June, Whittaker had to undergo emergency surgery to receive four root canals after suffering infections in his teeth.
Robert Whittaker reveals doctors found a 'huge cyst' in his jaw when he removed his teeth
After suffering from problems with his teeth since he was 19, UFC 308 left him with no choice but to have his bottom row of teeth removed, leading to a huge discovery from his doctors.
“I have never been able to bite an apple since I was 19. (My teeth) have always been bad, and I should have dealt with it much sooner.
“They are gone (now), I don't need them, my life is much better without them. But fun fact: when they took them out, they found a huge cyst in my jaw, and they think that's where teeth infections came from, so everything happens for a reason,” Whittaker continued.
Strangely enough, despite all the complications with his injury, 'The Reaper' is now back training and preparing for a return to the Octagon.
The 33-year-old has highlighted June as a potential return month, but he has no returning opponent in mind.
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