Robert Whittaker, who suffered a severe dental injury during UFC 308, views the incident as a blessing in disguise due to his long-standing teeth issues and is recovering well, planning to return to fighting by mid-2025 after taking time for personal development and family.
Robert Whittaker’s feeling right as rain these days.
Back in October at UFC 308, he suffered a nasty injury. Khamzat Chimaev dislocated his teeth with a face crank. It was one of the most gruesome injuries of the year. Fans thought he’d be out for a while, but surprise! He’s already doing much better.
On his MMArcade podcast Tuesday, Whittaker opened up about it. He explained that Chimaev did pop them out, but his teeth have been troublesome for years.
“I’ve always kind of had bad bottom teeth,” Whittaker admitted. “Missing teeth for over a decade. They were unstable, like half a circuit. Trauma over the years, who knows? Every dentist said, ‘Try to keep your real teeth.’ Honestly, I should’ve ditched them years ago.
“The Dricus [du Plessis] fight… they got pushed in then too. Had to push them back, cast in place, let them settle… yada yada yada. Move on. Against Ikram [Aliskerov], infections galore. Four root canals! My teeth had enough. Enough is enough.” [Laughs]
“Anyway, Chimaev’s forearm slammed across my bottom teeth—they moved instantly. The squeeze after? Gone. Everyone saw those photos…
“My teeth just went straight in—couldn’t fight out of it. Could feel them in the middle of my mouth. Done deal. Hats off to Chimaev; he executed his plan and got the win.
“It’s upsetting to lose like that, but hey, it is what it is.”
Despite how terrible it looked—and even joked about Daniel Cormier sharing the photo—it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Given his long history with dental issues, Whittaker figured he’d eventually need them removed anyway. So, oddly enough, there’s a silver lining here.
“You know what? Chimaev did me a favor,” Whittaker chuckled. “He got rid of the teeth.
“Fear of hurting my bottom teeth? Gone! They’ve always been crap. Couldn’t bite an apple since I was 19. Should’ve dealt with them ages ago.
“Now they’re just gone. Don’t need ’em; life’s better without ’em. Fun fact: when they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw! Maybe that’s where the infections came from? Everything happens for a reason.”
Whittaker added he’s back in the gym and feeling fine but isn’t rushing back into action just yet. The former champ plans to enjoy some family time before eyeing a return around summer 2025.
“Gonna take some time,” Whittaker said. “Not rushing into another fight; got things to address… Probably looking at June-ish? End of May? We’ll figure it out next year…”
“Turning 34 in December,” Whittaker continued. “Still got tricks up my sleeve and goals to hit. Building new skills—it’s how I see things. Every setback makes me stronger; the comeback will be better. Can’t wait to get back in there!”