😳🩸Robert Whitaker on his jaw injury:
“It wasn’t the jaw, it was the tooth, the tooth was pushed in.
It was a face crank. His forearm went straight into his lower teeth. There were no crazy moments. ”
🎥 @RedCorner_MMA
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— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 27, 2024
Robert Whittaker suffered a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308, but did not suffer any serious injuries.
Whittaker and Chimaev met as middleweight title eliminator contenders in the co-main event of UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev took down Whittaker early and barely locked on a facecrank when “Bobby Knuckles” quickly tapped in at 3:34 in the opening round.
Whittaker was seen telling his corner that there was something wrong with his jaw. Subsequent images of Mr Whittaker’s mouth revealed severe injuries that left his teeth scattered. At first it was thought that the cause was a broken jaw, but Whittaker revealed that it was actually a tooth that had been pushed in.
Whittaker said a loose tooth was a persistent problem and required repair before his last loss to Doricus du Plessis. Whittaker speculated that if he had stronger teeth, he could have taken more time to turn his head and avoid injury.
“It’s okay. It was the teeth, not the jaw,” he said on Red Corner MMA. “My tooth was pushed in. My teeth were always wobbly, and they got even more wobbly. It was my face.” His forearm was straight up over his bottom teeth. I didn’t have time to turn my head. If I didn’t have such fragile teeth, I probably could have afforded to turn my head for another second. I just got stuck in a bad spot and the rest is history. I was once pushed when I fought Dorikas, but it never healed. …It’s because of an injury I had when I was younger. ”
Whittaker’s loss to Chimaev ended his winning streak at two, and his record in his last six UFC fights is 3-3. Whittaker also released a statement promising to come back stronger after recovering from his injury.
“Thank you everyone for the love and support. It’s hard work at times, but it’s the job,” Whittaker wrote on Instagram. “Many congratulations to Khamzat. He was the better man tonight and that’s it. He felt great, everything was good and he was ready. His jaw is in good shape but… My teeth have shifted, which is a good excuse to get them straightened now lol. I’m disappointed, but I’ve come back better from every setback and every challenge, so this makes no difference. I would like to thank my team and everyone who has supported me to this point. It’s time to spend some time with my family. Please come back soon.”
